Aftermaths, Part 3

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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When they got home, Lupin contacted Arthur and had a private talk with him; he was shocked and distressed to learn what the Aurors had done at the Nott mansion, and promised to look into it. Lupin made some other inquiries, and was able to confirm, to his relief, that no harm had been done to the homes of the Crabbes, Goyles, Malfoys, and Averys--or to the occupants of those homes. While the Aurors had been brusque bordering on rude, they had not abused their authority because the Death Eater wives had wisely made sure that their lawyers were present while the search warrants were being served. Apparently the Aurors had vented their frustation on the Nott home only because there had been no one present to witness it or stop them. Meanwhile, Snape contacted his own lawyer, and the two of them descended upon the Ministry the next day. Lupin stayed home with the boys, so he was not sure exactly what was said to whom, but a couple of days later, they received letters of apology not only from the Aurors who had personally conducted the search on Nott Manor, but from the Minister of Magic himself, as well as a bag of Galleons to pay for the damage done to the house.

Lupin raised an eyebrow and said, "That lawyer of yours must be good, Severus."

Snape smirked and said with satisfaction, "Very good."

"Good usually means expensive," Theodore said nervously. Just how much was Snape spending on this lawyer, anyway? He wasn't sure about the legalities involved in fostering a child, but if the Nott account at Gringotts was frozen, then that meant Snape wasn't drawing any money from it for either the lawyer or Theodore's upkeep.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Nott," Snape said with a careless wave of his hand. "Besides, the Donners are paying half of her fee, since she's also working on Dylan's behalf." Theodore said nothing, but still looked worried, and Snape took a closer look at him and frowned a little. "I mean it, Theodore; it's nothing to be concerned about. While I'm no longer the Snape heir, I have quite a tidy savings from my years of working at Hogwarts. I get free room and board, and I can write off most of my potion supplies and books as business expenses. I have little else to spend my salary on but clothes, and one can only wear so many robes..."

"Yes, you're quite the fashion plate," Lupin joked.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin," Snape said automatically, but without much heat.

"And of course you do spend some of your money on sweets, as well on robes for your werewolf lover," Lupin continued with a grin, plucking at the robe he was wearing, a golden-brown one that Severus had given him for Christmas.

"Yes, well, now that you're employed again, you can start buying your own clothes," Snape grumbled.

"Damien thought it was odd that you were so well-dressed when you started teaching again last year," Dylan told Lupin. "He said the robes you wore the first year you worked at Hogwarts were all patched and faded. He thought maybe Dumbledore gave you an advance on your salary, but Professor Snape bought them for you, didn't he?" He and Lupin grinned at each other, while Snape flushed.

"Hmm," Snape muttered. "Mr. Pierce is more perceptive than I thought; I'll have to keep that in mind in the future."

"Damien's a clever boy," Lupin said.

"When he's not chasing girls, which is most of the time," Snape retorted. "Still, his grades did go up this year; he actually passed his Potions O.W.L. Your influence, I assume, Rosier." He gave Dylan an approving nod, and the boy smiled, looking pleased and proud.

"Yes, sir, we've all been studying together this past school year--me, Damien, Blaise, and Theo." Dylan laughed. "I told Damien he wouldn't graduate if he didn't spend more time on studying and less on girls!"

Snape actually smiled, and he said, "Good advice, Mr. Rosier."

Theodore felt a little bemused as he watched the three of them banter, not quite sure how the conversation had managed to turn so quickly from money to Damien's grades. And he felt just a touch of wistful envy at how easily Dylan was able to joke with Snape. Then he silently chided himself for acting as stupid as Draco, who was always jealous of Dylan for being the "teacher's pet". Dylan was his best friend, after Blaise, and his foster brother; besides, why should he be jealous, anyway? Unlike Draco, he had spent most of his six years at Hogwarts trying to avoid Snape's attention rather than attract it. But that was because he had thought Snape was a Death Eater, only it had turned out that he wasn't; it was all so confusing...

"So...it's okay?" Theodore asked Snape uncertainly. "About the lawyer, I mean. I'll pay you back after the estate is turned over to me..."

"I told you not to worry about it, Theodore," Snape said firmly, then grinned wickedly. "Besides, it gives me great pleasure to thwart the Ministry, so I consider it money well-spent. Don't deny me this one small indulgence."

"Uh, yes, sir," Theodore said meekly, wondering if Snape had just made a joke. Did the Potions Master even HAVE a sense of humor? Apparently so, because he laughed in a low, husky, and slightly sinister voice.

That sound seemed to have a rather unusual effect on Lupin: his face became flushed, his eyes went a little glassy, and he leaned back and stretched out on the couch languidly, smiling at Snape in a way that could only be called "come-hither".

Snape's black eyes went wide, and he glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Oh, dammit," he muttered. "I nearly forgot; I've got to start brewing the Wolfsbane Potion tomorrow." Lupin just grinned at him, baring his teeth in a way that was both feral and sensual.

Theodore and Dylan both felt their faces grow hot. "Ah, why don't we go for a walk, Theo?" Dylan hastily suggested.

"Great idea!" Theodore said, jumping up and heading for the door.

"Make it a LONG walk, boys," Lupin purred, as Snape's normally pale face turned bright red.

Theo and Dylan ran out of the cottage and didn't look back, but they could hear Snape roar, "LUPIN!" and the sound of the werewolf's laughter as the door slammed shut behind them.

"That was weird," Theodore muttered, as they strolled through the woods. It was still hard for him to believe that Snape and Lupin were a couple, but he had just been presented with incontrovertible evidence that it was true. Of course, their kiss in the Great Hall in front of the entire school had been pretty convincing, too.

"You'll get used to it," Dylan assured him. "Though I have to admit, I've never seen Lupin act that way before. Hmm...Snape said something about brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, which means that the moon will be full soon. Do you suppose it's some sort of werewolf thing?" He snickered. "Werewolf hormones?"

"What, the full moon doesn't just turn them into wolves, it makes them horny?" Theodore asked skeptically. "I don't remember reading that in our DADA textbook!"

"Well, the full moon brings out their animal instincts, doesn't it?" Dylan theorized. "Isn't sex a primal instinct?"

That conjured up images of a libidinous Lupin pouncing on Snape every time the full moon rolled around, and Theodore winced. "I like Lupin, and I even like Snape now that I know he's not a Death Eater, but I really would rather not have to imagine them having sex, if it's all the same to you!" Dylan just laughed, and Theodore asked dryly, "Which one of us is supposed to be gay?"

Dylan laughed again. "No, I don't really want that mental image in my head, either--nobody wants to picture their parents having sex, after all!" Theodore smiled a little at that reminder that Snape and Lupin were, after an odd fashion, their parents now. "I'm just glad that they're together," Dylan continued. "They're my two favorite teachers, so I was happy when I found out that they didn't really hate each other, even though it was kind of shocking. I liked Lupin since I first met him; he talked to me about my dad, and he was nice to all of us Slytherins. Besides, don't you think that Snape's nicer when Lupin's around?"

Theodore thought it over; he doubted that Snape would have come to the Slytherin dorm bearing mugs of hot chocolate if Lupin hadn't put him up to it. And he did seem to be less intimidating and bad-tempered when Lupin was around. On the other hand, he also spent a lot of time acting grumpy and embarrassed when Lupin teased him... "They fight a lot," he said uncertainly.

"Oh, it's just a game they play," Dylan said dismissively. "They do it all the time. I think it's almost second nature, since they had to pretend to be enemies at Hogwarts."

"Are you sure?" Theodore asked dubiously.

"I can tell when Snape's really mad and when he's not," Dylan said reassuringly. "He was really mad at those Aurors who wrecked your house, but not at Lupin."

Now that Theodore thought about it, Snape had been filled with a kind of cold, implacable fury at the Aurors' trashing of Nott Manor, and he had immediately done something about it. But with Lupin, while Snape blustered and grumbled and complained loudly, he never really did anything to stop the werewolf from teasing him or nuzzling him or snuggling up against him, so Theodore supposed that Dylan was right. "I guess you're right," he conceded. "You know them better than I do, after all."

"You'll get used to it," Dylan told him again.

They took a long and leisurely walk through the woods, and picked a few wild herbs they recognized to bring back to Snape for his potions. After about an hour, Dylan asked, "Do you suppose it's safe to go back?"

"I guess," Theodore said. "Why're you asking me? You're the expert on our two lovebirds."

"Yeah, but you've got more experience with...ah...this sort of thing," Dylan teased him.

Theodore flushed and glared at his friend. "An hour would be enough for me and Blaise; I don't claim to be an expert on werewolf mating habits."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to chance it," Dylan said with a grin. "We can't stay out here all day, after all."

"You can go in first, then," Theodore grumbled good-naturedly. "Snape's less likely to turn you into a toad if you interrupt them."

"Coward," Dylan teased.

"Teacher's pet," Theodore retorted, but he smiled. It was kind of fun, having a brother to joke around with. He had always wanted a brother or sister; he had been lonely as a child, and his father's abuse might have been easier to bear if he'd had someone to confide in and support him. Of course, with his luck, his hypothetical brother or sister would have turned out as nasty as his father, so maybe it was just as well that he had been an only child...

When they arrived back at the cottage, just to be on the safe side, Dylan knocked loudly on the door and called out, "We're home!"

"Come on in," Lupin's cheerful voice called out, and the two boys cautiously entered the cottage. To their relief, their foster parents were fully dressed and sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of tea. Snape looked the same as always, clad in black with a sour expression on his face. Lupin, on the other hand, looked just a little disheveled: his robes were slightly rumpled and his hair slightly mussed, as if he had just risen from bed and forgotten to comb it. His face was a little flushed, but it seemed to be from happiness rather than embarrassment; he was practically glowing, and he was smiling in a very satisfied and smug way. In fact, the expression on his face was remarkably similar to Millicent's cat after he'd just consumed a big bowl of cream; Theodore half expected Lupin to start purring. "Have a nice walk?" Lupin asked, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes as Snape blushed and glared at him.

"Yes, sir," Dylan replied. "We found some herbs on our walk, and we thought maybe you could use these," he added, handing the plants to Snape.

Snape accepted them, looking a little less grumpy. "Yes, I can, thank you. Good thinking, Rosier, Nott." The two boys beamed at the rare compliment from the Potions Master, and Snape said to Lupin in a slightly superior tone of voice, "I'll bet such a thought would never have occurred to your Gryffindors."

Lupin just smiled and shook his head. "They're not MY Gryffindors, Severus."

That made Theodore even happier, and he and Dylan exchanged a grin. Ever since Lupin had gone public about his relationship with Snape and moved into the dungeon, the Slytherins had all come to regard him with a sort of proprietary air, as if he were an honorary Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor. "He's one of us," Pansy had declared proudly when they had noticed Lupin moving his things into Snape's quarters near the end of term, and no one had disputed that, not even Draco. It pleased Theo to hear Lupin denying allegiance to the Gryffindors, even though he knew that wasn't really Lupin's intent.

Snape shot a glare Lupin's way, but Lupin just grinned at him, and Snape's lips twitched upwards in a reluctant smile. Maybe Dylan was right, Theodore realized, and all their arguments really were just some kind of game that they played.

"The full moon is nearly upon us," Snape informed the boys in a haughty voice. "Which sometimes makes the werewolf behave in an irrational manner." He glared at Lupin again; Lupin gave him an innocent, wide-eyed, "Who, me?" look. "Tomorrow I must start brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, and you two will assist me. It will be good practice for your Potions N.E.W.T. and besides, there's no need for you to remain idle all summer."

"Yes, sir," Dylan and Theodore chorused obediently.

Lupin smiled at them and said, "But for now, perhaps you two can help me get dinner ready."

"Yes, sir," the boys said again.

"Well, I must admit, they certainly are better behaved than most of the Gryffindors," Lupin said with a rueful grin, and Snape smiled back at him smugly. Dylan and Theodore grinned at each other, then went to help Lupin in the kitchen.
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True to his word, Snape put the boys to work assisting him with the Wolfsbane Potion the following day. Dylan, of course, was thrilled to have the chance to work on a complicated potion, and Theodore didn't really mind. It was interesting, and Snape seemed much more relaxed and less intimidating than he did in the classroom, maybe because there were no Gryffindors present (Lupin didn't count, of course). Whatever the reason, although Snape watched them closely as they worked, he didn't have that threatening, ready-to-pounce-on-the-slightest-mistake look in his black eyes that he did in class. Then again, Dylan and Theodore had worked on the potion before in class, and they always paid close attention to Snape's instructions (unlike the Gryffindors, Theo thought to himself in a smugly superior way), and thus rarely made mistakes--and certainly never made the same mistake twice. Making the potion was a great deal of work, and created an unpleasant smell that seemed to permeate the entire cottage, but it was all worth it when Lupin smiled at them gratefully and thanked them for helping Snape with the potion. "It means a great deal to me," he said, and Theodore could well believe it, remembering the scratches carved into the basement walls by the werewolf's claws. If they could cut into the walls that way, how much more easily could they have sliced into his own flesh...? Theodore shuddered at the thought, and from the look in Dylan's eyes, he was thinking the same thing. They said nothing to each other or to Lupin, but in unspoken agreement worked even more diligently on the potion from then on, so much so that Snape praised their efforts in a surprised but pleased voice.

Besides, at least working on the potion kept them busy; the nearest village was several miles away, and there was not much to do there, anyway. The boys did entertain themselves at home (when they weren't working on the potion) by reading, flying on their broomsticks and practicing Quidditch moves, and playing cards or chess. Snape would sometimes play a game of chess against Dylan or Theo; Lupin did not. Snape pointed out one day in a slightly condescending voice, "Lupin's not much good at strategy--typical Gryffindor."

Lupin just grinned in a good-natured manner and said, "No, deviousness is your forte, Severus; I could never compete with your sharp Slytherin wit." Snape looked a little disappointed that Lupin didn't rise to the bait, and continued his game with Theodore.

However, Snape did not intend to let the boys spend the entire summer in a leisurely manner. He was determined to keep them busy, partly to keep them distracted from their grief, not wanting to give them too much time to brood, and also just on principle--it grated on his nerves to see children idling and lazing about. Lupin pointed out that it was their summer vacation, after all, and kept him from working the boys too hard, but he agreed that it wouldn't hurt to assign the boys some chores. "It builds character," Lupin told them cheerfully. They looked a little dubious, but under Snape's stern gaze, all they said was, "Yes, Professor."

So they helped with the cleaning, and joined Lupin for long walks in the woods to gather firewood. Fortunately, there was no need to chop the wood; they simply picked up the plentiful deadfall that lay on the ground under the trees, and Lupin seemed to enjoy the opportunity to spend some time with the boys. He pointed out things on their walks that they might otherwise have missed: a bird's nest high up in a tree; a fox's burrow in the ground, concealed by some bushes; a patch of herbs that Snape might find useful as potion ingredients. It soon became a regular habit for the three of them to walk through the woods together even when they didn't need any firewood.

They also helped Lupin in his garden; he showed them a small, weed-choked plot out behind the cottage. "I'm afraid I've let it go to seed, so to speak, these past couple of years," he said a little sadly.

"What did you grow?" Theodore asked curiously, wondering if Lupin had been growing some sort of special herbs for potions; "grubbing about in the dirt," in his mother's opinion, was not something a respectable wizard did, although no doubt Professor Sprout would take exception to that remark.

"Mostly vegetables and a few herbs," Lupin replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "My income has been rather limited up until recently, so I grew some of my own food out of necessity."

Snape looked rather shamefaced at that, although there was no hint of accusation or reprimand in Lupin's voice. "Well, it's not necessary for you to do that now," he said gruffly. "So I don't see the point in starting another garden when we'll only be here for a few months."

"It's not all that bad," Lupin said. "Or it won't be, once we get rid of the weeds. Some of the plants have survived--there's still a patch of mint growing here, and some chamomile there. We could make our own tea with it. We can buy our vegetables in the village, but it might be nice to grow some herbs--you could use them in your potions, Severus."

"Perhaps you could plant a patch of Wolfsbane, then," Snape said sourly, and Lupin laughed.

But in the end, they decided not to plant any aconite, since it was a potentially deadly poison except when properly prepared by an expert, and Lupin didn't think it prudent to leave a patch of poisonous plants growing unattended when they returned to school. But they did plant a few common, harmless herbs such as rosemary and lavender that could be used in cooking or in Snape's potions. Part of Theodore regarded the thought of digging and weeding with distaste, even though he knew it was the snobbish pureblood pride his parents had instilled in him. Still, pureblood pride or not, Lupin had taken him in when nobody else wanted him, so Theodore swallowed his objections. And Lupin smiled at him so warmly that any resentment Theodore might have felt instantly melted away. {I don't have to be like my parents,} Theodore told himself firmly. He silently promised himself would make a conscious effort to change, and forget about things like blood purity and what was "proper" behavior for a pureblood. In fact, considering what his parents had been like, he probably couldn't go wrong by simply doing the opposite of what they had been telling him to do all these years. He felt much happier after that, and eventually came to enjoy working in the garden with Lupin.

Lupin also had Theodore and Dylan assist him with the cooking; he prepared most of their meals, because, as he cheerfully claimed, "I'm the only one of us who knows how to cook."

"I know how to cook," Snape said indignantly.

"Oh, really?" Lupin asked, raising his eyebrows. "When was the last time you cooked anything?"

"When I lived alone for a few years in-between graduating from Hogwarts and becoming a teacher there," Snape said, a little sheepishly.

"That was, what...? Sixteen years ago?" Lupin asked pointedly.

"Well, I could if I wanted to," Snape said huffily. "It's all a matter of following the recipe and mixing the proper ingredients together. It certainly can't be any harder than preparing the Wolfsbane Potion!"

Lupin chuckled, recalling that Hermione had said almost the exact same thing last summer, and Severus had scoffed at her words. He gave his lover a sly look and said, "Actually, you have cooked something more recently than that, come to think of it."

"I have?" Snape asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Those Valentine's Day chocolates you made for me," Lupin cooed.

Snape's face turned bright red and Theodore, who was slicing carrots for that night's dinner, nearly chopped off his finger by accident. "Professor Snape made Valentine's Day chocolates for you?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, Severus is quite the romantic," Lupin said, smiling lovingly at Snape.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin!" Snape snapped. He said that particular phrase quite often, and Theodore was finally beginning to understand that he didn't really mean anything by it. Lupin certainly didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated; he leaned over and kissed Snape on the cheek. Snape turned even redder in response, and retreated to the living room, hiding behind a copy of the Daily Prophet, pretending to peruse the paper until dinner was ready.
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In addition to wood-gathering, gardening, and cooking, Snape also insisted that the boys do some studying to prepare themselves for the coming school year, and in Theodore's case, his N.E.W.T.s. They grumbled a little about it--out of Snape's earshot, of course--but secretly they felt relieved. They both had memories that they would rather not dwell on, and their chores and their studies kept them occupied enough that they didn't have to think about them.

The boys had been working in the garden with Lupin one morning, then helped him prepare lunch and do the dishes, then spent a couple of hours studying. Lupin finally chased them outside to "get some fresh air". They willingly left their books and ran out with their broomsticks; Lupin watched from the window as they practiced some Quidditch maneuvers.

"I think you're working them too hard, Severus," Lupin said.

"I'm doing it on purpose," Snape told him solemnly. "They're not normal, well-adjusted children like Granger or the Weasleys. They were both recently orphaned, and they spent years having their heads filled with Death Eater indoctrination. If we give them a lot of free time, they won't spend it playing; they'll spend it brooding about their parents. They need a routine, something to keep them busy."

"Too busy to think?" Lupin asked quietly.

"Yes," Snape replied.

"I'm not sure that avoiding and bottling up their emotions is the right approach, Severus," Lupin said, a worried look in his blue eyes. "They'll have to deal with their feelings sooner or later."

"Repression is the typical Slytherin way to deal with emotions, after all," Snape said with an ironic smile. Then his expression turned serious and he said, "They're not ready to deal with those emotions right now, especially Theodore."

"How will we know when they're ready?" Lupin asked.

"As you said, they can't bottle up their feelings forever." Of course, Snape had managed to do so for nearly twenty years, but the boys didn't have nearly as much self-control as he did. "Eventually it will spill out, no matter how many chores we give them. They'll deal with it in their own time, when they're ready. And we'll be there to help them."

Lupin smiled at Snape. "You're much better with children than you think, Severus."

"Oh, shut up, Lupin," Snape replied automatically, in an almost distracted manner.

Lupin ignored him, slipped his arms around Snape's waist, and laid his head on Snape's shoulder. "I love you, Severus," he said softly.

Snape hesitated for a moment; well, the boys were outside, after all, and Lupin's arms around him, and Lupin's silky hair brushing against his cheek, felt very good... "I love you, too, Remus," he replied, and put his arms around Lupin.

Lupin whispered into Snape's ear, "You know, I think the boys will stay outside for awhile, and we haven't had much chance to be alone lately." He bared his teeth at Snape and growled playfully. "Besides, the full moon is tomorrow, and the wolf is hungry. I feel I've been quite restrained, under the circumstances, for the boys' sakes, but..."

Snape glanced out the window; the boys were quite occupied with their Quidditch practice, laughing as they chased each other around on their broomsticks. Perhaps Lupin was right; maybe he had been overdoing it a little with their studies...but that made it all the more likely that they would stay outside and work off their energy for at least an hour, maybe more... "Then let's not waste any time," Snape purred. Lupin grinned at him, and they headed to their bedroom, locking the door and casting a silence spell, just in case.

They underestimated the wolf's hunger, however. Dylan and Theodore returned to find the house oddly quiet; either their guardians had gone to the village--unlikely, since Lupin had just gone there for groceries the other day--or...their eyes drifted towards the bedroom door.

"Silence spell," Theo said, blushing a little. He had used it often enough on his and Blaise's room at school. "Um...maybe we should go back out?"

Dylan shrugged. "Well, we can't hear anything, after all. We can just sort of pretend like nothing's happening; just try not to think about it."

"Easier said than done," Theodore said darkly, and Dylan laughed.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We could put supper on for Lupin; he's been looking a little fatigued lately, I guess because the moon is almost full."

"I'm sure he's tired, but I'm not sure it's because of the moon," Theodore muttered, giving the bedroom door a pointed look. Actually, he didn't begrudge Snape and Lupin a little time alone together, but it suddenly reminded him of how much he missed Blaise, even though school had let out less than two weeks ago.

Their foster parents emerged from their bedroom just as dinner was ready. Snape looked exhausted and a little embarrassed, while Lupin looked tired but very content. "How wonderful!" Lupin exclaimed. "You got dinner ready!" He leaned over to sniff at the cauldron of stew that Theodore was placing on the table. "It smells delicious. Thank you very much."

The boys smiled at him. Dylan said, "It's nothing, Prof...um...Rem..." He hesitated, glancing at Snape. "It's nothing, sir," he finished, a little lamely.

Lupin grinned. The boys had finally started calling him by his first name, but only when Severus wasn't around. Although they were still a bit hesitant about it; Lupin joked that he should change his name to "Prof...um...Remus".

"Oh, I don't care if you call the werewolf by his first name, Rosier," Snape said gruffly. He already knew that they were doing it behind his back, and since it seemed to make Lupin happy, he didn't really care, so long as they didn't start calling him "Severus". Lupin smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Cut that out, Lupin!" he growled, but his werewolf lover just laughed and ignored him.

They all sat down to dinner, and Lupin tucked into his food heartily. "I really do appreciate you fixing dinner tonight," he told Theodore and Dylan. "The wolf, ah, tends to work up an appetite near the full moon," he added, giving Snape a sly grin.

Snape choked on his food and turned red; the boys blushed as well. As Snape turned to glare at him, Lupin said in a very amused voice, "My, you Slytherins blush so easily! And here I thought you were supposed to be so cynical and worldly-wise...one would almost think you were Gryffindors..."

"Now see here!" Snape said indignantly. "There's no need to be so insulting!"

This hadn't quite escalated into a real argument yet, but Dylan thought now would be a good time to change the subject. "Excuse me, Prof...um...Remus?"

"Yes, Dylan?" Lupin asked pleasantly. Snape continued to fume, but seemed to be calming down a little.

"I was wondering, sir," Dylan said to Lupin, "if it would be all right if Damien and Blaise came to visit us during the summer." Theodore flashed him a grateful look, and he smiled at his friend; he knew that Theo must be missing Blaise. "I'd like to practice some Quidditch maneuvers with Damien, and--" A burst of inspiration struck him, and he turned to Snape and added virtuously, "--we could all study together, get ready for the coming year and help Blaise and Theo prepare for their N.E.W.T.s."

Snape gave Dylan a wry look that said he was aware he was being manipulated, but said, "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Theodore and Blaise can use the practice, and it won't hurt you and Pierce to become familiar with the types of questions that will be on the N.E.W.T.s, even if you won't be taking them until your seventh year. It wouldn't hurt Mr. Pierce to do a little extra studying, period, for that matter."

"Then it's okay?" Theodore asked eagerly. "We can invite them over?"

Lupin and Snape exchanged an indulgent smile. "Of course," Lupin said. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Just let me know when they're coming so I can unblock the fireplace; they're not able to Apparate yet, and it's a bit far to come by broomstick." Out of habit, Lupin kept the fireplace warded to keep out anyone but a select group of trusted friends, such as Sirius, Branwen, and Dumbledore. The war was over, but Snape didn't think they should let their guard down too far: not everyone was happy about the legislation that had granted werewolves equal rights; and there were some Death Eater sympathizers who, while not convicted of any crimes, were not happy with the outcome of the war, not to mention the fact that Rabastan Lestrange was still at large.

"Thank you, sir!" Theodore said, his face lighting up, and Lupin and Snape exchanged another smile. Just then, they heard something scratching at the kitchen window, and looked up to a see an owl hovering outside it.

Snape got up to take a closer look at the bird and the letter it was holding. "Hmm, speak of the devil--it seems to be from Mr. Pierce." He opened the window and the bird flew in, dropped the letter on the table in front of Dylan, then flew back out again.

"It's from Damien," Dylan said, confirming Snape's guess, and tore open the envelope.
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Dear Dylan,

I still can't believe that you knew all along about Lupin and Snape and didn't tell us! But keeping secrets is a Slytherin trait, I guess. And I'm still having trouble believing Potter's story in the Daily Prophet about how "embracing both my Gryffindor and Slytherin qualities" helped him defeat You-Know-Who! I'm not sure whether to be flattered or offended that the Savior of the Wizarding World is claiming fellowship with us. Hey, if Potter wants to be an honorary Slytherin, do you suppose we could make him our Seeker and kick Malfoy off the team?

Speaking of Malfoy, you'll never guess who's been coming 'round to tea lately--Narcissa and Draco Malfoy! Narcissa and my mum used to be friends in school, although of course she married into the Malfoy family and moved out of our social circle. But my mum has a soft spot for her; don't ask me why--it's not like Narcissa's gone out of her way to be friendly to us all these years, though I guess that's a good thing. If she had, she might have gotten us involved in Death Eater business, and I might be sending you this letter from Azkaban!

Anyhow, apparently she and my mother were roommates back at Hogwarts, even though Mum's a year older than Narcissa. She says Narcissa was this spoiled, sheltered little kid who had never been away from her family for longer than a couple of days before, and she missed them so much that she used to cry herself to sleep at night. Hard to picture, huh, snooty Narcissa Malfoy being a homesick little girl? My mother's always been a bit of soft touch for a Slytherin; every time a stray cat shows up, she ends up adopting it--we've got four at home right now--and she ended up "adopting" Narcissa, took her under wing like a little sister until she got used to living at Hogwarts.

So anyway, Mum felt sorry for Narcissa and started inviting her over for tea. She seems grateful that my mother hasn't snubbed her the way her other pureblood friends have; apparently none of her so-called friends want anything to do with her now. She's actually pretty nice when she's not in her "I'm a Malfoy, so I'm better than everyone else" mode. Draco's not so bad either, now that he's been humbled a bit. Sometimes he starts acting all lordly like he used to, but I remind him that I don't have to suck up to him anymore. Though my mum scolded me when she caught me doing that; she said he's going through a hard time and that I should be nicer to him--give me a break! But I guess I do feel sorry for him, what with his dad trying to use him as shield against a Killing Curse. I always envied the Malfoys a little, but not anymore. My dad might not be as rich and powerful as Lucius Malfoy was, but I know he'd never sacrifice me to save his own skin.

So how are you and Theo doing? What's it like, living with Snape and Lupin? I hope Snape's not as scary at home as he is at school. Or was that part of his Death Eater act? It's kind of hard to tell; I guess he was pretty nice to us that night after the battle, when he and Lupin brought us the hot chocolate, though I think that was probably more Lupin's idea than Snape's. Write to me and let me know you're okay, so I know that Snape doesn't have you guys locked up in the dungeon or something, haha! Although since you said Lupin lives in a cottage, I guess it probably doesn't have a dungeon...

Damien
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Dylan snickered as he read the last paragraph, then hastily stopped and folded up the letter when he saw Snape giving him a suspicious look. "Damien was just asking how we were doing," he said nonchalantly. To distract Snape, he added, "And he says that his mother has been inviting Narcissa and Draco Malfoy over for tea. She feels sorry for them, I guess, since she and Narcissa were friends in school."

"She always was a bit soft, for a Slytherin," Snape muttered.

"Look who's talking," Lupin said affectionately.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin!"

"You can invite Draco over too, if you like," Lupin said, ignoring Snape. "Or any of your other friends."

Dylan and Theodore exchanged a look; they didn't really consider Draco a "friend," but they knew that Lupin would want them to be nice to him. "Yeah, okay," Theodore said unenthusiastically. "We'll invite him over sometime. But maybe just Damien and Blaise to start off with." He wanted a chance to spend some time alone with Blaise, and it would be easier for them to sneak off on their own, perhaps for a walk in the woods, if Malfoy wasn't around.

"Of course," Lupin said agreeably. His left eyelid seemed to drop down slightly in a nearly imperceptible wink--or was Theodore just imagining it? Surely Lupin didn't know that he and Blaise were more than friends...or did he? Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had caught them in bed together the night of the battle, and maybe one of them had blabbed about it to Lupin. Well, Theodore supposed that Lupin was hardly likely to object, considering his own relationship with Snape, but the thought made him a little uneasy.

Theodore quickly finished his dinner and asked, "May I be excused?"

"Of course," Lupin said, and Theo hurried downstairs to write to Blaise. But once he picked up paper and quill, he didn't quite know what to say. There was so much he wanted to tell Blaise, so many things he'd had to keep hidden...he flushed a little, knowing that he hadn't treated Blaise very well at times this past year. He had snapped at Blaise and pushed him away when he inquired too closely about the Death Eaters or Theo's family, but he had only been trying to protect Blaise; he hoped his friend understood that. He wanted apologize to Blaise and tell him how much he loved him, but the words just didn't seem to come out right. He crumpled up his third attempt just as Dylan was coming down the stairs.

"Need help writing your love letters?" Dylan jokingly asked, and Theo hurled the wad of paper at his head. Dylan ducked and laughed, then saw that Theodore really was upset. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Nothing," Theodore said sullenly.

"Aw, come on, Theo, you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we? Brothers, even."

Theodore looked up at Dylan, and his irritation eased. Occasionally, he was a little jealous of Dylan, even though he knew it was stupid, but he was happy to finally have a brother. Besides, it wasn't Dylan's fault that he was "so damn perfect," as Draco liked to say; Theodore's lips curved upwards in a smile, his good humor restored. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Dylan just laughed and tossed the crumpled letter into the wastebasket. "You'll have to aim better than that if you want to try out for the Quidditch team next year! You should, you know. You'd be really good at it, and Malfoy's got no power over you anymore."

That thought cheered Theodore up even more. "Maybe I will."

Dylan flopped down on his bed. "So seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Theodore repeated, but less hostilely this time. "It's just...there's so much I want to tell Blaise, about the Death Eaters and my family, and why I couldn't tell him the truth before. Too much to put into a letter."

"So don't," Dylan said, and Theodore looked confused. "I mean, don't put it in a letter. Tell him that you love him and you want to see him, but you can tell him all that other stuff in person when he comes."

Theodore gnawed on the end of his quill thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right."

"So go ahead and write your love letter--" Dylan grinned and Theodore grinned back at him. "--and I'll send it out with Blodwen first thing tomorrow morning." He went over and took his owl out of her cage and let her perch on his shoulder. She made a soft, affectionate hooting sound, and he stroked her feathers and fed her a treat. "Meanwhile, I'll write to Damien and invite him over. And I suppose we'll have to invite Draco over next time, to make Lupin happy. Damien says he's not so bad now." He handed over the letter to Theo, who laughed when he read the last part about being locked up in the dungeon. He picked up his quill and began writing, and this time the words flowed more easily.

 

Part 4