Aftermaths, Part 28

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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Sirius and Branwen returned from their honeymoon; Sirius looked tanned, relaxed, and happy, while Branwen still retained her porcelain-pale complexion, but looked just as happy. Snape was delighted to see them both, even Black, because it meant that he could go home and turn the Gryffindors back over to their parents' care.

"See you at school!" Hermione cheerfully called out to Dylan and Theodore as they left, and Snape sighed at the reminder that the brats would only be in their parents' care for a short time before they would once again be his problem when they returned to school.

Lupin, Snape, and the boys returned to the cottage to find that a large amount of mail had piled up in their absence. Snape began sorting through it; most of it was junk mail: advertisements from potions stores and magical supply shops, as well requests for interviews from the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, and The Quibbler. Snape tossed them all into the fireplace, where he had lit a fire for this express purpose.

It was not all junk mail, however. There was a letter from Professor Kamiyama saying that his granddaughter Miyako was progressing well in her studies as a Seer, and that Karasu's and Chizuru's clans were still negotiating their marriage contract. Meanwhile, the happy couple had not waited for the marriage to be formalized and had quietly moved in together at Mahou Gakkou, the Japanese school of magic where Chizuru taught, while the details were being worked out. There were also letters to Dylan from his female classmates, telling him how much they missed him and looked forward to seeing him at school soon, and a wedding invitation for Lupin.

"Another one?" Snape asked peevishly. "Who is it from this time?"

"Brian Perry," Lupin replied cheerfully. "You know, the young man who was recovering from a werewolf attack at St. Mungo's while Arthur was hospitalized there two Christmases ago. He was very bitter for a long time--his family disowned him, you know--but it seems he's finally adjusted to his new life. I suppose it helps that the Daily Prophet portrayed the werewolves as heroes during the final battle. Anyway, he's marrying a young lady named Kyra, one of Lukas's pack members."

"How lovely for them," Snape said sourly. "I'm sure they'll be very happy and raise a nice litter of cubs together. Please tell me that I don't have to go; I don't even know them."

"Well, it says I can bring a guest--" Lupin started to say, and Snape groaned; Lupin grinned. "But you don't have to come if you don't want to. It'll probably be mostly werewolves, anyway, although I think Arthur might want to come; they got to be friendly at the hospital, and he's looked out for Brian since then, even helped him find a job."

"If the Weasleys are going to be there, I definitely won't go," Snape muttered.

"I suppose I could always take Lukas as my date," Lupin said casually, then laughed at the look of shock and outrage on Snape's face. "I'm just kidding, Severus," Lupin said, leaning over to kiss Snape on the cheek. "You know I'm not interested in anyone but you."

"If you want me to come with you, just say so," Snape grumbled. He supposed the werewolf leader was handsome, in a scruffy sort of way. He didn't know whether Bleddri was interested in men or women, and it wasn't as if he didn't trust Lupin, but perhaps it would be best if he came along to protect Lupin from any lecherous werewolves who might take a fancy to him. For his own protection, of course.

"You don't have to come with me, but I'd like you to," Lupin said sweetly.

"Fine," Snape growled. "When is the blasted wedding, anyway? Won't we be in school by then?"

"It's on a Saturday, the last weekend of September," Lupin replied, "so we don't have to worry about skipping class. After all, I'm sure Lukas will be invited to the wedding, and he's a teacher, too."

"Fine," Snape repeated grumpily, then he froze in place and his face went pale as he reached for the next stack of letters. Lupin leaned over his shoulder, and saw that they were all addressed to "Severus Snape, Hogwarts School of Magic," in elegant calligraphy; the school must have forwarded them to the cottage. Snape slowly turned the top letter over with a trembling hand, and Lupin could see that the return address on the back of the envelope said, "S. Snape, Snape Manor," and that the envelope was sealed with red wax stamped with a design of a snake curved into the shape of an "S".

Snape suddenly grabbed up all the letters from Snape Manor and tossed them into the fireplace. "Severus!" Lupin cried out in dismay, and Snape grabbed him and held him back when he tried to reach into the fireplace to retrieve the letters.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Snape snarled. "You'll burn yourself!"

"But Severus," Lupin cried as he watched the fire eat away at the letters, "they're from your mother, aren't they? Don't you want to know what they say?"

Dylan and Theodore stared at their guardians, looking pale and anxious as Snape snapped, "Oh, I already have a pretty good idea of what they say, Lupin!"

"But Severus--" Lupin protested.

"Do you really want to know what they say, Lupin?" Snape raged. "Most likely something along the lines of, 'How dare you disgrace the family name by taking a beast as your lover and exposing your depravity to the world!' Do you really want to read those letters, Lupin?"

Lupin did not flinch, and said quietly, "I am used to being insulted, Severus; I don't care what your mother says about me, except that it obviously distresses you. But there must have been at least a dozen letters in that stack, and we've only been gone for two weeks; what if it's something more than berating you about your werewolf lover? Surely even Lady Selima wouldn't bother writing you a letter every day for two weeks just for that! What if it's something important?"

"I can't imagine what could be so important," Snape said stiffly, but in a more subdued voice. "And even if it is something important, I am no longer a member of the Snape family, so it has nothing to do with me."

"Family ties are not broken so easily," Lupin said softly, "no matter what the official documents say."

"I want nothing to do with my family," Snape said curtly. "And believe me, neither do you. This is not something that can be mended with your Gryffindor idealism and good intentions, so stay out of it, Lupin!" He stalked into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Lupin sighed, staring sadly at the ashes in the fireplace. He felt a hand gently touch his arm, and turned around to look into Dylan's concerned eyes; Theodore looked worried and a little frightened as well. "Are you okay, Remus?" Dylan asked. "I know the Professor didn't mean--"

"It's all right," Lupin reassured him. "I know that Severus isn't angry at me; he's angry at his parents, and I can't blame him. But still, it worries me that Lady Selima sent so many letters, when he's had almost no communication with his family for almost twenty years. At least, I assume it's Selima who sent them; it looked like a woman's handwriting, but I could be wrong."

"She seemed pretty concerned about Professor Snape having an heir to carry on the family name," Dylan said.

"When did you meet the Professor's mother?" Theodore asked curiously. "I thought his family had disowned him."

"Last Halloween, when I went to Diagon Alley with Remus and Professor Snape," Dylan explained. "We just happened to run into her on the street. She dragged him over to the Leaky Cauldron to talk to him--" Theodore raised his eyebrows; it was difficult to picture Snape being dragged around like an errant child by his mother. Dylan grinned and continued, "Figuratively speaking, of course. His mother is very intimidating; he definitely takes after her--she has that same stare he does, the one that makes his students quiver with fear. Anyway, she was really upset about the possibility of the Snape line dying out; she practically begged him to get married and have an heir, even said that she'd get his father to accept him back into the family." He turned to Lupin. "Maybe that's what she's writing to him about. She must have heard about you and Professor Snape, and she's afraid that now he'll never give them an heir."

Lupin frowned. "Possibly, but why start writing to us now? With the way gossip travels, she must have heard about us by early June; why didn't she write to him then? Why is it suddenly so urgent for her to get in touch with him now?" Lupin hesitated; coming from an old pureblood family, Theo was probably the most politically aware of the three of them. He hated to stir up unpleasant memories, but he was worried about Severus and what Selima Snape might want from him. "Theo," he asked, "did you ever hear any gossip about the Snapes, anything that might explain why his family would be trying to contact him now?"

"Not really," Theodore said slowly, shaking his head. He didn't seem to be upset by Lupin's question, just worried and thoughtful. "I did overhear my parents talking about them sometimes; I know that the Professor's father used to be a friend and ally of Lucius Malfoy's father. But after Lucius's parents died during the war, the Snapes and the Malfoys had a falling-out. Lucius was angry that the Snapes didn't support the Death Eaters during the war; he called them fence-sitters and used his influence against them. The Snapes were too powerful to be eliminated or even just financially ruined the way the Zabinis were, but they lost a great deal of their influence. Severin Snape was forced--well, 'strongly encouraged'--to take an early retirement from his job at the Ministry, and he hasn't been a political player in the wizarding world since then. He's supposed to be kind of a recluse, and hardly ever leaves the family estate. Selima Snape still socializes with her peers, though, at least according to my mother. The Snapes are supposed to be very concerned with protecting their family honor; that's why they disowned the Professor, after all, when they thought he was a Death Eater. But this is all old news; I haven't heard anything that would explain the letters. But I guess they could be concerned about making sure there's an heir to carry on the Snape name; the Professor doesn't have any brothers or sisters, or even any first cousins, at least on his father's side."

"He has family on his mother's side?" Lupin asked curiously; he knew so little about Severus's family, since he didn't like to talk about them.

"Yes," Theodore replied. "She comes from a family of wealthy merchants, the Bashirs. They wouldn't have any claim to the Snape title, of course."

"Of course," Lupin echoed, feeling a little dazed. He had just learned more about Severus's background from Theo in the last five minutes than he had learned from Severus in the past twenty years. "You know all this just off the top of your head?" he asked incredulously.

Theodore smiled. "The purebloods are always gossiping about each other, Remus. They're constantly comparing themselves to other families and seeing how they measure up in status. And there's nothing they love more than gossiping about someone who's suffered a reversal of fortune."

Lupin sighed; he was very grateful that he had not been raised in that world, but it put him at a disadvantage when he was trying to understand how it worked. "I don't suppose that anything has happened recently in the Bashir family, either, that Selima would need to contact Severus about?"

"I don't think so," Theodore said, shaking his head again. "Their business has been doing well, as far as I know, and I haven't heard that they were having any personal problems. Of course, I've been out of the loop for the past few months, ever since..." His voice trailed off, leaving unspoken the words, "my parents died".

"Thanks, Theo," Lupin said, giving his foster son a hug. "I didn't mean to stir up old memories, but I'm worried about Severus."

"It's all right, Remus," Theodore said. "I don't mind; I'm worried, too."

"If it's really important, I'm sure she'll write again," Dylan said. "Or maybe even come in person if he won't reply." He found that thought rather unnerving; the cottage seemed too small to contain the explosion that was bound to occur when two angry Snapes confronted each other.

Lupin wasn't sure whether to hope that Selima would contact Severus again or just hope that she would give up and leave him alone; he wasn't sure which would be better for Severus. Having met Selima Snape, and having heard how Severus's parents had treated him as a child, Lupin wasn't sure that a family reconciliation was possible. He wasn't sure that a reconciliation was desirable even if it was possible; he didn't think that using a Cruciatus Curse on one's own son--as Severin Snape had--was an offense that could be forgiven. He wasn't sure that Selima should be forgiven, either, for failing to protect her son from his father, although she had apparently been motivated by misguided notions of family duty rather than cruelty or fear. The only thing Lupin was sure of was that the estrangement from his family was a wound that Severus had let fester for years. Severus had worked hard to help the boys deal with their grief and emotional wounds, but typically, he had never bothered to deal with his own.

Lupin sighed again and said, "I'll go talk to Severus." He smiled at the boys, trying to look more confident than he felt. "Don't worry; whatever the problem is, we'll work through it together." He walked over to the bedroom door, knocked, and called out, "Severus? Can I come in?"

"If I said no, would that stop you?" Snape replied in his normal snarky tone, and Lupin sighed with relief.

He cheerfully answered, "No," and walked in to find Snape lying on the bed.

Snape immediately sat up and said, "I'm sorry, Remus; I shouldn't have said those things to you."

Lupin's natural response would be to crack a joke about fainting with shock at hearing the Potions Master apologize, but he didn't think that Severus was in the mood for it right now. So he simply sat beside his lover, gently stroked his cheek, and said, "It's all right, Severus; I'm not angry at you. I know it must be a shock, hearing from your family out of the blue like this."

"They're not my family," Snape said firmly. "You and Dylan and Theodore are the only family I have, or want."

"But Severus--"

Snape laid a finger across Lupin's lips. "I know you mean well, Remus, but this is not something you can fix. My parents are not nice people; you know that I don't think of you as a beast, or our relationship as something depraved, but that is exactly what they would think. People aren't necessarily worthy of being called 'family' just because they're related to you by blood--if Theodore's parents were still alive, would you want him to reconcile with them?"

"No, Severus," Lupin said quietly. "Some things cannot be forgiven. I am not saying that you should reconcile with your family, but it seems to me that you have some unfinished business with them." He reached out and laid his hand over Snape's. "Perhaps you need to confront them about the way they treated you as a child--"

Snape snorted derisively. "I already confronted my mother last Halloween, and you saw how well that went over! I can yell at them until I'm blue in the face, Lupin, and it won't change anything. It won't change what happened in the past, it won't change the way they feel, and it won't change the way I feel."

"I know," Lupin sighed, still holding Snape's hand, "but I hate to see you in pain, Severus, and this old estrangement still hurts you, doesn't it?"

Snape laughed, but it came out sounding hollow and not very convincing. "Quite the opposite, Lupin! It came as a great relief when they disowned me--no more need to live in that gloomy mansion, or put up with my parents, or provide them with an heir."

"No matter how much you hated them, Severus," Lupin said gently, "they were still your family, and it must have hurt when they disowned you. Theo hated his parents, but he loved them as well, otherwise their betrayal would never have hurt so much."

Snape looked extremely uncomfortable. "Theodore is softer than I was as a child; Marta treated him with affection even if she was too cowardly to protect him. As for myself, I feel nothing but hatred and contempt for my parents."

"I saw your reaction to those letters," Lupin said softly. "You can't tell me that you felt no pain."

"As you said once before, Lupin, no one survives a war without picking up a few scars along the way," Snape said curtly. "Seeing my parents and listening to them insult you won't make me feel any better, I assure you."

"But--"

"There is no way that they will ever accept you as my lover," Snape interrupted. "And there is no way in hell that I will ever give you up." Despite his concern, Lupin had to smile a little at the vehemence in his lover's voice. "And I doubt that they would be thrilled about me fostering the boys, either," Snape continued, then sighed wearily. "I know it goes against your Gryffindor inclination to meddle in other people's business, but please just leave it be, Remus."

"Severus--"

"Please," Snape repeated, worrying Lupin further because the irritable Potions Master almost never used the word "please," and he had just said it twice in almost the same breath. "Just let it go. And promise me that if any more letters come, you won't try to open them."

Lupin flushed guiltily, because he had just been thinking that perhaps he could intercept the next letter from Snape Manor before Severus destroyed it. But he didn't have the right to read his lover's mail even if his intentions were good. And Severus looked so weary and drained, near the end of his rope, as he had not looked since before the war had ended, when his role as a spy among the Death Eaters--and his fear that he would not be able to protect his students--had taken a heavy toll on him. "All right, I promise," Lupin said reluctantly. He didn't like it, but he supposed that he couldn't force Severus to confront his family, anyway. If and when it happened, it would have to be a decision that Severus made on his own.

Snape looked relieved, and said, "Thank you, Remus."

"I love you, Severus," Lupin said, holding him tightly. "I'm always here for you, and I'll always support you, no matter what."

"I know, Remus," Snape said, hugging him back. "Thank you."

"Please? Thank you?" Lupin teased, attempting to lighten the mood a little. "My, but you're polite today!"

"Hmmph!" Snape snorted, pretending to be offended. "This is why we Slytherins are always rude--people make fun of us when we're polite!"

Lupin laughed, "I'm sorry, Sev, you're right! But you just wouldn't be you if you were all sweetness and light. I love you, grouchy, snarky, sneaky Slytherin that you are."

"And I love you," Snape said, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fought back a smile, "even if you are an annoying, idealistic, meddling little Gryffindor." They kissed, and everything was well again--at least for the moment.

A letter arrived every day for the remainder of their summer vacation, delivered directly to the cottage now instead of the school, by a great horned owl, and Snape would immediately throw it into the fire. Lupin kept his promise and held his peace, although aside from his very real concern about his lover, his own sense of Gryffindor curiosity was just dying to know what the letters said; he could see that the boys were curious, too. But the four of them, by mutual unspoken agreement, pretended that the letters didn't exist, and life went on more or less normally, until it was time to go back to school.
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Meanwhile, back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius had a decision to make.

"So, Sirius," Harry said over dinner one night, "what are you going to do when school starts? I mean, you and Professor Blackmore are married now, but you're not a teacher. Are you allowed to live at Hogwarts with her? Or will she still live here?" He frowned a little. "Do all the teachers live at the school? I always assumed they did, but I don't really know..."

"Most of the teachers do," Branwen replied, "but it's not required, except in the cases of the Headmaster, the Deputy Headmistress, and the Heads of the four Houses, who are expected to live at the school and look after the children." She turned to Sirius, giving him a stern look. "And it's about time you made up your mind about this, dear. You've been putting it off all summer, but Harry and I will be returning to Hogwarts next week. Albus has given you permission to share my quarters, or I can continue to live here and commute to work by Floo. Or you can rent a place in Hogsmeade near the school; I will abide by whatever decision you make, Sirius, but you must make up your mind."

Sirius slouched back in his chair and heaved a sigh, and Harry wondered why he sounded so depressed. "It would be really cool if you lived at Hogwarts, Sirius!" he said eagerly. "I could see you all the time, and not just during the holidays!"

Sirius smiled a little then. "That sounds nice, Harry, but I have to think of Hob. It wouldn't be right to leave him in an empty house by himself, and the house-elves would probably feel like he was intruding on their territory if I brought him to the school."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling disappointed. "Will you stay here, then?"

"I guess so," Sirius said unenthusiastically. "I could move to Hogsmeade, but Bran won't have time to see me during the day since she'll be teaching classes, and Floo travel is virtually instantaneous, so I had might as well remain here."

Harry looked concerned, while Branwen merely looked annoyed. "I know you don't like being cooped up here, Sirius," Harry told his godfather, "but Professor Blackmore will be coming home every night, and you're not a prisoner anymore. You can go out anytime you want, maybe even come and visit us at the school--"

"Oh, stop moping, Sirius!" Branwen said sharply. "There's no need for you to sit around feeling sorry for yourself; I know you've had a number of job offers. Or do you intend to just laze about the house like some wealthy pureblood fop? Even Lucius Malfoy managed to hold down a job!"

Sirius sat up straight and glared at his new wife. "There's no need to compare me to Lucius Malfoy!" he said indignantly.

She just smiled at him coolly. "Does that mean that you've decided to do something productive with your life?"

Sirius glared at her for another moment, then leaned back and laughed. "Sometimes I don't know whether you're my wife or my teacher, Branwen!" To Harry he said, "I guess I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately, because I don't really know what I want to do with my life."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. "Me too!"

Sirius chuckled. "Yes, you are a seventh-year now, and I suppose McGonagall and your other teachers have been telling you that you have to start thinking about your N.E.W.T.s and what sort of career you want to go into."

"Yeah, but I didn't think that you'd be having the same problem!" Harry exclaimed.

Sirius grinned. "What, because I'm an old man?" he joked. "You have to remember, Harry, I haven't held down a job for about sixteen years, ever since I was sent to Azkaban."

"You were an Auror before, right?" Harry asked. "Your name was cleared, so I'm sure you could get your old job back if you wanted it."

Sirius grimaced. "Yes, but the problem is, I'm not sure I really want it back. After being thrown into Azkaban without a trial and being hunted down as a fugitive after I escaped, I've developed something of an aversion to the Aurors. There are good people among them, like Kingsley and Tonks, but there are also people who don't really worry too much about whether their targets are guilty or innocent."

"Oh," Harry said in a subdued voice; of course Sirius would have mixed feelings about rejoining the very people who had been hunting him down not so long ago. "But that was because of Cornelius Fudge, right? Surely things are different now that Mr. Weasley is the Minister of Magic."

Sirius and Branwen exchanged a solemn look. "Things are changing, Harry," Branwen said. "But these attitudes and institutions have been in place for years, and Arthur cannot change them overnight. He's stopped the Aurors from imprisoning or killing people without a trial, but some of them have still abused their powers in smaller ways." She explained to him how the Aurors had trashed Nott Manor while searching it.

"Oh," Harry said again. Once he would have felt no sympathy for Nott, who after all was one of Draco's cronies and the son of a Death Eater. But now, having lived with the boy for two weeks, having seen him wake up screaming from a nightmare about the Death Eaters, Harry couldn't shrug it off quite so easily. "But couldn't Mr. Weasley fire them, if they're abusing their powers?"

"He reprimanded them and paid reparations to Mr. Nott," Branwen replied. "But some of those Aurors are politically well-connected, and it would cause trouble if he fired them over what most of the wizarding world would see as a minor incident."

Harry nodded, remembering what Snape had told them when they had been discussing Percy's wedding. "Professor Snape said that the Minister of Magic isn't all-powerful, that he could lose his job if he offends too many people."

Branwen smiled. "Yes, Harry, that is correct. Arthur is trying to change things for the better, but he has to move slowly."

"So what were you thinking of doing, if you don't want to become an Auror?" Harry asked his godfather.

Sirius sighed again. "I have an old friend, Cassidy Sinclair--he was in Gryffindor, a couple of years ahead of me--who's an inventor. He made that music box I gave you for your birthday, and those recording spheres that are so popular now. He modeled them after Muggle devices that didn't have a counterpart in the wizarding world. Anyway, he struck it rich a few years ago when those music boxes started selling like hotcakes, and he's offered me a job."

"But you don't want it?" Harry asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I was never much good at building things; Moony is much better at working with his hands than I am." He smiled nostalgically. "Except for my flying motorcycle; I loved tinkering with that thing. I wonder what happened to it? The last time I saw it was when I lent it to Hagrid to take you to your aunt and uncle after James and Lily were killed. I'll have to ask him what he did with it."

Branwen frowned, a distasteful look on her face. "I never did like that noisy, smelly machine. I don't see why you would need it when you have a perfectly healthy and capable Hippogriff to ride."

Sirius laughed; Branwen was remarkably open-minded, but she still held some wizardly prejudices against Muggle devices. "Because I could ride it on the ground and blend in with the Muggles if I had to. Because it's fun. And because it annoyed the hell out of my family and all the other wizards who had rigid notions of what was proper and appropriate."

Branwen couldn't help but smile at the mischievous, boyish grin on his face. "Oh, all right, you can keep it, just as long as you don't expect me to ride it."

Sirius gave her a speculative look. "Pity; you'd look really sexy in tight jeans and a leather jacket."

Professor Blackmore had a very dangerous look in her eyes, and Harry thought he saw her hand moving towards the pocket that contained her wand. "So what sort of job do you want, Sirius?" Harry asked hastily, in an attempt to distract her.

"Yes, we are getting a little off the subject, Sirius," Branwen said in a cold voice. "I know that Arthur's offered you a position at the Ministry."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Sirius said reluctantly. "Because I was the liaison to the Japanese wizards who aided the Order of the Phoenix, he's offered me a position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Why, that's great, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I'd have to deal with a lot of bureaucratical nonsense and paperwork, not to mention that I'm hardly a good diplomat," Sirius complained.

"But you just said that you were the liaison to the Japanese wizards," Harry pointed out. "That's what your mission to Japan was about last year, right? It's because of you that Professor Chizuru and Master Karasu and Master Satoshi came to teach at Hogwarts. And if the tengu hadn't been there to help fight the Death Eaters, or if Miyako hadn't given me that prophecy about the Lion having to embrace the Serpent, we might have lost the war!"

Sirius looked embarrassed, and protested, "It was really Remus who did all the hard work. He negotiated with them for over a year; I just helped out a bit because he was busy teaching at Hogwarts. If I did it as a full-time occupation, I'd be sure to lose my temper at some point and offend some high-muckety-muck and start an international incident."

Branwen was drumming her fingers on the table impatiently, and Bane was beginning to get a little agitated, picking up on his mistress's mood. He glared at Sirius and cawed angrily. "I think you underestimate yourself, Sirius," Branwen said, "but Arthur also offered you another position--to head up the Werewolf Support Services."

"But that would be perfect!" Harry said excitedly. "Since Professor Lupin is your friend and all! Don't you want to help other werewolves like him?"

Sirius looked a bit shamefaced. "Well, of course, but I'm not the type to work behind a desk, and it's a dead-end job. Nobody wants that position, the Ministry treats it as a joke--"

"It's true that under Cornelius Fudge's administration it was given only token funding and support," Branwen interrupted. "But you know that things will be different under Arthur! He's already given the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program full funding, and pushed through the equal rights bill. He'll see to it that you have the support you need."

"It'll still involve a lot of paperwork and pencil-pushing," Sirius grumbled.

"Sirius Black!" Branwen shouted, in the tone of voice she used when dealing with a troublesome student. "The werewolves, your best friend among them, risked their lives to fight the Death Eaters alongside us; two of them were killed in the battle! Are you telling me that their courage and sacrifice are not worth the inconvenience of a little paperwork?!"

Sirius hung his head, flushing with shame. "I didn't mean it that way," he muttered.

"I know it's not the sort of job you're accustomed to," Branwen said in a calmer voice. "And I know that dealing with the Ministry makes you uncomfortable since they've been your enemy for so many years. It will be hard and frustrating work, there's no doubt about it. You will be dealing with bigots who still see the werewolves as less than human, no matter what decree the Ministry issues, and yes, there will be paperwork to deal with. But you have a chance to make a difference here, and do some real good! For the first time in wizarding history, the werewolves have been given favorable press and regarded as heroes, but people are fickle and their memories are short. There will never be a better chance to get the werewolves accepted as full-fledged members of society, and if we don't seize this opportunity now, it may be lost forever."

Sirius now looked grave, and a little pale. "But...that's a huge responsibility, Branwen. What if I screw things up?"

She smiled at him with affection and sympathy, but no mercy. "It's time for you to grow up, dear. Do you think that Harry wasn't afraid he'd fail when he took on the Dark Lord?"

"Ouch," Sirius said, wincing. "Guess I'm not much of a godfather, when you have to hold up my godson as an example to remind me to be responsible."

"You're a great godfather, Sirius," Harry said loyally, and Sirius smiled at him.

"If you really don't want the job," Branwen continued, "I won't force you to take it. But don't pass up on it just because you're afraid of failure. You could do a great deal of good in any of those positions--Auror, foreign liaison, head of Werewolf Support." She paused for a moment. "Well, I can't imagine how society would benefit from you building music boxes and magical trinkets, but if you really wanted that job, I wouldn't stand in your way. But you must do SOMETHING with your life, Sirius!"

Sirius sat up straight, took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders. "You're right, Branwen," he admitted. "I bet Moony would like it if I took that job, wouldn't he?"

"I'm sure he would be very proud of you," Branwen said.

"He suffered a lot, didn't he?" Sirius asked, a thoughtful look on his face. "All those years I was in Azkaban, and after he lost his job at Hogwarts." He flushed again. "Because of me."

"Yes, he did," Branwen replied quietly. "But he didn't suffer nearly so much as some of the other werewolves. He had parents who loved him, and even if he didn't always have a job, he at least had a roof over his head and enough to eat. Not all the werewolves can claim as much."

"I could help make sure that none of them suffer like that again," Sirius said, a determined look on his face.

"It won't be easy," Branwen cautioned. "The human wizards, particularly the purebloods, will resist your efforts. Even some of the werewolves might resist your efforts; they're very suspicious, for good reason, and you'll have to work hard to win their trust."

"It should help that my best friend is a werewolf," Sirius said, then suddenly grinned. "And compared to fighting Voldemort, how bad can it be?"

Harry grinned back at him, relieved to see that his godfather had cheered up, and Branwen smiled also, but she knew that in some ways, defeating Voldemort had been the easy part. Not to belittle Harry's courage or the sacrifices of those who had died, but it would take a lifetime, maybe more, to undo the prejudices that had brought the Dark Lord to power. But she saw no need to dampen Sirius's spirits right now, when he was trying to put his life back together again--as they all were, really; no one had survived the war unscathed. They would have to take things one step at a time, and this was a good first step.


Part 29