Aftermaths, Part 33

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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They sat together in Snape's personal quarters to talk. Dumbledore sent Dobby to bring them a tray of food since they had missed dinner, but the food sat there untouched because nobody was really hungry right now. Theodore kept staring at the floor, unwilling to meet Snape's eyes.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, then Snape finally cleared his throat and asked, "Do you want to be adopted into the Snape family?"

"I said I was sorry," Theodore mumbled, a little sullenly. "Just forget I said anything, okay?"

Lupin put an arm around him and said gently, "No one is angry with you, Theo." He shot Snape a quick glare that said he had better reassure the boy of that.

"I'm not angry or offended, Theodore," Snape said quickly. "Just a little confused. I can't imagine why anyone would want to be a part of that family after having met my parents. I just want to understand exactly what it is you want." Did he hate being a Nott so much that he was willing to become a Snape so that he could give up his father's name?

Theodore finally looked up at Snape and said urgently, "I really don't care about the inheritance, Professor. I don't care about the money or the title."

"But you do want to be adopted into the Snape family?" Snape asked, still confused.

Lupin thought he understood what Theo wanted. "It's okay, Theo," he said softly, giving him an encouraging smile. "We're your family; I hope you know by now that you can trust us." Theodore hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Just tell us the truth, Theo. We want to understand how you feel. Do you want Severus to adopt you?"

"Yes," Theodore whispered.

"But why?" Snape asked, still looking bewildered. Lupin gave him an affectionate but slightly exasperated smile.

"Just tell us the truth, Theo," Lupin repeated in a gentle voice as the boy hesitated again. "It's all right."

"Because Dylan's your favorite!" Theodore finally blurted out, as Snape and Dylan stared at him in shock. "I mean, I'm not complaining or anything," he added hastily. "It's only natural; he's your best Potions student, and everyone knows you've been looking after him since he came to Hogwarts because his father was your friend. So it's no surprise that you wanted to foster Dylan after his mother died, but I know you only took me in because you felt sorry for me." Snape opened his mouth, but before he had a chance to speak, Theodore continued, his words coming out in a rush, "It was probably Remus's idea, wasn't it? I mean, I'm not complaining, honest! I'm very grateful to you, but...but...I just thought..." His voice dropped to a whisper and his gaze fell back to the floor. "I thought that if you adopted me and I really was your son, not just your foster son, that would sort of make me equal to Dylan. I'm sorry, that sounds really dumb, doesn't it? It was a stupid idea; please just forget about it."

Snape just sat there looking totally stunned, and Dylan looked a little guilty. "You know, you're wrong about it being my idea to foster you, Theo," Lupin said, still in that quiet, gentle voice. "I mean, of course I would have proposed it if Severus hadn't thought of it first, but it was Severus who came to me and said that we should foster you."

Theodore looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Really," Lupin said firmly, giving him a hug.

"It's true, Theo," Dylan said earnestly. "They weren't even really planning to foster me at first."

"We love Dylan, of course," Lupin interjected, "but we assumed that his great-uncle and aunt would take custody of him."

"They found out at the last minute that my mother had appointed them as my guardians in her will," Dylan continued. "They told me that they had already petitioned the Ministry for permission to foster you, and I thought that was great; we were already friends, so I thought it was really cool that we'd be brothers, too." He looked anxious. "You don't hate me, do you, Theo? I never meant to make you feel like...like you were second-best or something."

"I don't hate you, Dylan," Theo said softly, looking ashamed of himself. "I'm just being stupid like Draco." He tried to smile, but it came out a little crooked. "You know it drives him crazy that you seem to be the best at everything you do."

Snape was still in shock. It had never occurred to him that Theodore might be jealous of Dylan. His jealousy of Potter was understandable, of course, because they were competing for Lupin's affections; no one had ever really competed for Snape's affections. Other than Dylan and Draco, most of his students did their best to avoid him, and Draco had not so much wanted his affection as he had confirmation of his self-importance, although his postwar experiences seemed to have humbled him for the better. But Theodore...they had begun to form a tentative bond once he realized that Thaddeus was abusing the boy and had tried to protect him, but Theodore still seemed to regard Snape as his intimidating Head of House, to some degree. The boy had formed a close relationship with Lupin; the sentimental Gryffindor werewolf had no trouble lavishing affection on his "cubs": hugging them, comforting them, tucking in them into bed, and so on. Snape had thought that the boys were receiving all the love and affection they needed from Lupin, but clearly he had been wrong, and he had no idea how he was supposed to proceed from here. He gave Lupin a helpless look, and Lupin gave him an impatient one in return.

"You need to tell Theo how you feel, Severus," Lupin finally said, as if he were explaining the obvious to a rather dimwitted child.

Snape would rather be tortured by Death Eaters than sit around discussing his emotions, especially since they were rather muddled at the moment, but that wasn't really an option, so he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to speak. "I'm sorry, Theodore," he said awkwardly. "I didn't realize you felt that way. I never meant to give the impression that I favored Dylan over you, and I didn't take you in because of pity."

"Why did you, then?" Theodore wanted to know.

Snape had been afraid he was going to ask that. "It's difficult to explain," he sighed; the reasons weren't entirely clear in his own head, because they involved emotions and memories that he preferred not to examine too closely. "Partly because as your Head of House, I am responsible for your well-being."

"Heads of House don't normally go around adopting orphaned students," Theodore pointed out, "no matter how dedicated they are."

Snape had known that first reason would not be enough. "And also because," he continued, "I felt personally responsible for you because of my involvement with the Death Eaters. I should have realized that your father was abusing you. I should have taken you away from him when I did realize it, but I could not, because that would have exposed my cover."

"So you felt guilty," Theodore said, not seeming to find that particularly comforting.

Snape shook his head. "No. I mean, yes, of course I felt guilty, but it was more than that. Do you remember what I told you when we were talking in my office last Halloween, after I discovered the burn on your wrist? What I said when you asked me why I was helping you?"

"You said your father was like mine," Theodore whispered. "That he used the Cruciatus Curse on you when you were a kid. And that your mother never tried to stop him."

"Yes," Snape said. "I wanted..." He paused, trying to organize his thoughts and choose the right words. "I could not protect you when your father was alive, but I at least wanted to give you a home after he died. I wanted to give you a better life than the one I had."

Theodore suddenly remembered what Snape had shouted at his father earlier tonight, when Severin had asked him why he had taken in Thaddeus Nott's son: "So that he wouldn't have to grow up in a house like this one!" He felt a sudden flicker of hope and asked, "You really mean that?"

Snape saw that Theodore was looking hopeful but not entirely reassured. "Yes," he replied. "It was partly guilt and duty that first motivated me to look after both you and Dylan." Dylan looked a little startled to hear this. "Duty, of course, because Evan was my friend--not a very close friend, but still, one of the few friends I had. And guilt, because I could not save Evan and Lyall."

"But you weren't there when they died," Dylan said, looking confused. "It wasn't your fault."

"I never tried to persuade them to leave the Death Eaters," Snape said. "I wanted to, but I was afraid they would refuse, and then I would have been exposed as a traitor. I was not so much worried for my own life, but--"

Dylan immediately understood. "But then the Order would have lost a spy." He was stunned by this revelation, but he could not bring himself to resent his foster father, not when his eyes were filled with such grief and guilt. "It never occurred to me that you might have tried to get them to switch sides," Dylan said, "but I don't think it would have worked. Mother said that Dad was very stubborn and he believed passionately in what he was doing. And Professor Blackmore tried to convince him to surrender, and he wouldn't listen to her, so I don't think that you could have changed his mind, either. I don't blame you, Professor."

Lupin smiled when he looked into Severus's eyes and saw that heavy burden of guilt ease somewhat. He would still probably always feel some responsibility for Evan's and Lyall's deaths, but Dylan's words seemed to have offered him some comfort and absolution, and Lupin was incredibly grateful for that.

"Thank you," Snape whispered, closing his eyes for a moment, then he opened them and got himself under control again. "As I was saying, I started out looking after you two because of guilt, but gradually it became more than that. I..." He hesitated, stumbling over his words. "I...ah...grew closer to both of you, and...well...I have come to...ah...care for you..."

"Oh, for God's sake, Severus!" Lupin said impatiently. He knew that Severus loved the boys, and he thought that Dylan already knew that, but Theodore needed to hear it said aloud, and he needed to hear it from Severus's lips, not Lupin's. "Is it really that hard to say the words?"

"Yes, Lupin," Snape said, looking a little peeved, "it is!" Dylan suddenly laughed, breaking the tension, and Snape smiled sheepishly. "I'm not a sentimental Gryffindor like you, Lupin," Snape complained. "I'm not used to talking about these things."

"Just say it, Severus," Lupin said, more kindly this time. His eyes twinkled with mischief and affection, and he said coaxingly, "Come on, you can do it. Can it really be harder than letting me kiss you in front of the entire school?"

"Please don't remind me of that, Lupin!" Snape grumbled, and Dylan laughed again and even Theodore smiled a little. But Snape knew it was time to stop stalling; he took a deep breath and said, "I...I love you both as if you were my real sons."

Dylan smiled, his eyes filling with tears; he knew that already, of course, but it made him happy to actually hear the words. Theodore gasped, then buried his face in his hands and began to sob uncontrollably. Lupin slid down the couch, away from Theodore; he wanted to hold the boy, of course, but he needed to be comforted by someone else this time. Snape sighed, came over and sat next to Theodore, and awkwardly put his arms around the boy. He patted Theodore on the back and tried to say things like, "There, there," and "it's all right," in a soothing tone of voice. The boy was clinging to him tightly, and Lupin was grinning like an idiot, so Snape supposed that he was doing all right. Dylan went over to Lupin and laid his head on the werewolf's shoulder, and Lupin slipped an arm around him and gave him a little hug. Snape was grateful that, thank Merlin, Dylan did not seem to be jealous or resentful of Theodore; one jealous child was all he could handle right now. In fact, Dylan even smiled tenderly at his foster brother as Snape comforted him, and Snape gave him a grateful smile in return.

Theodore eventually stopped crying and pulled away to wipe his face on his sleeve. "I'm sorry, Professor," he said.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Snape said, gently brushing strands of the boy's hair--damp with tears--back from his face, and Theodore smiled at him with a look of incredulous joy and love and trust, and Snape felt suddenly humbled, wondering what he had done to deserve it. Snape felt a surge of mingled tenderness and protectiveness so intense that it almost hurt and he realized that yes, he did indeed love the boy, as much as he loved Dylan. He had for quite some time, he supposed, he had just not consciously thought about it or admitted it out loud to himself, although Lupin had probably known all along; the werewolf was annoyingly perceptive about such things.

"I love both you and Dylan," Snape said; it was a little easier the second time around. "The only reason I never considered formally adopting either of you before was because I didn't want you to lose your inheritances, since I had none of my own to give you." Snape paused for a moment. "Well, actually there are two reasons, I suppose. I never dreamed that my family would be willing to reinstate me as heir unless I married and sired a child, but apparently they are, so I would be able to give you an inheritance, after all. But my father is a cold, sadistic bastard, and my mother...well, you've seen what she's like. I didn't want to subject you to their cruelty and scheming and power plays. I would not want anyone I cared about to have to live in Snape Manor."

Theodore shrugged. "They're no worse than my own parents were. And they wouldn't be adopting me...you would." He added shyly, "If you want to, that is. You don't have to, really."

"I would be honored to have you as my son," Snape said hoarsely, feeling his eyes sting a little. The werewolf was already sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes. Dylan smiled wistfully, still leaning against Lupin.

"Then I'd like that, sir," Theodore said, tears forming in his eyes as well. He paused to wipe them on his sleeve, then continued, "You don't have to make me the Snape heir, though. I really don't care about the inheritance."

Snape patted him on the shoulder. "I know," he said. "But I do want you to have it, if you think you can stand putting up with my mother. If you give up the Nott name, your father's relatives will likely challenge you for the Nott inheritance."

"They can have it," Theodore replied immediately. "I never wanted it in the first place." He paused, then looked a little intimidated as he asked, "Will I have to live in Snape Manor?"

"No, at least, not for awhile," Snape replied. "For one thing, you'll still be attending school for another year. For another, I'll make sure that it's clear in the adoption papers that I am your legal guardian and that my parents have no power over you. I'll contact Morrigan De Lacy in the morning and have her draw up the papers."

Something suddenly occurred to Theodore. "Will Remus still be my foster father if you adopt me?" he asked anxiously.

Lupin smiled, feeling deeply touched. Theo and Dylan would always be his "cubs" no matter what the law said, but he would hate to give up his formal status as Theo's guardian, and he was glad that it seemed to mean a lot to Theo as well. "I will always regard you as my son, Theo, and we will always be family, no matter what the law or the official court documents say," Lupin said tenderly.

"It would be a bit unusual," Snape said, "but I don't think there's any rule or law against it. I will have Morrigan insert a clause stating that Lupin is still your co-guardian." Snape frowned as he realized that there were very important reasons other than sentiment why Lupin should retain his legal status as Theodore's guardian. "And stating that Lupin will receive custody of you if anything happens to me." Lupin glanced up, looking startled and distressed; he clearly didn't want to even contemplate such a thought. "It's important, Lupin," Snape insisted. "Otherwise my parents would be next in line to take custody of him." His voice hardened. "And I will never, ever give them the chance to harm another child."

Lupin went pale. "Yes, Severus," he said quietly. "You're right, it is important." He tried to smile reassuringly at Theo and Dylan, who were both looking alarmed. "Just a formality, of course. I am sure it will never become necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Don't worry," Snape joked, "my life expectancy has increased dramatically since the Dark Lord was defeated." Lupin laughed, and the boys managed to smile although they still looked anxious. Snape hesitated as his gaze fell on Dylan. "You know I think of you as my son, Dylan, but it never occurred to me to offer to adopt you, because you cherished your father's memory so much. And I cannot offer you any inheritance, but if you wanted..."

Tears began to run down Dylan's face. "Thank you, Professor," he whispered. "I love you and Remus, you're the only fathers I've ever really had, but..." He gave Snape a pleading look. "But my father's name is the only connection I really have to him, I just can't give that up..."

Theodore watched his foster brother weep, then moved out of the way without being asked so that Snape could embrace him, and this time there was no jealousy in his eyes.

"It's all right, Dylan," Snape said gently as his foster son wept on his shoulder. "I didn't really expect you to. I just wanted you to know that I...well..."

"Love you," Lupin finished with a grin. "Even though he's too much of a typical repressed Slytherin to feel comfortable saying it out loud."

Dylan laughed a little through his tears. "Thank you, Professor. It really does mean a lot to me that you would want me to be your son. Thank you so much."

Snape smiled and said, "As Lupin said, we are family, no matter what the legal documents say, no matter what name you use." He ruffled Dylan's hair fondly. "Besides, I would not like to see the Rosier name die out, either. It seems appropriate that there should be a Rosier at Hogwarts each generation, stirring things up at the school." Snape raised an eyebrow. "That was quite an entrance you and Miss Granger made tonight."

Lupin and Dylan laughed, and Theodore smiled. To Snape's great relief, the boys both seemed happy and content now. He wasn't looking forward to renewing ties with his family, but he supposed it was worth it to see Theodore looking completely content and at peace for the first time Snape could remember.

"It's getting late," Snape said briskly. "Have something to eat, and then you had better go to the dorm and get some sleep. Classes start tomorrow and--" He gave them a stern look. "--don't think that I'll be writing you any excuse slips just because of tonight's little jaunt."

"Yes, sir," the boys chorused, grinning at him. Snape supposed that he had just delivered the death blow to his already tattered image as the sinister Potions Master, but somehow he didn't really mind. The boys seemed to have recovered their appetites, because they quickly devoured their meals, then said goodnight and headed over to the dorm.

Lupin also ate heartily, but Snape only picked at his food. "I hope I'm doing the right thing," Snape sighed.

"You are, Severus," Lupin assured him. "Theodore needed to know that you love him as much as you do Dylan, and I'm not sure that anything other than this adoption would have convinced him." He sighed and shook his head. "It's very sad that Theo honestly seemed to believe that he isn't entitled to the same amount of love that Dylan is, that he should just be grateful that we took him in at all. We'll still have to work hard at reassuring him that we love him, Severus."

"I know," Snape said solemnly. "But I'm still not sure that bringing him into the Snape family is going to be good for him. My parents aren't much better than the Notts, you know--just more controlled and more subtle."

"We will be raising him, not them," Lupin reminded him. "And I don't think that either of us was planning to let him go to Snape Manor alone, so we will be there to protect him. Besides, your father isn't really much of a threat to anyone right now."

"True," Snape acknowledged. "I don't think he can even lift a wand, much less cast an Unforgivable Curse. And...he'll be dead in a few months, if what the Healers told Mother is true." Snape still wasn't sure how he felt about that. As a child, there were times when he had thought that he would be glad to see his father die, that he would dance on the bastard's grave. Now he found that he took no satisfaction in the fact that his father was dying, but neither did he feel any grief, precisely--more of a sense of unease and emptiness. He shook his head impatiently; he could worry about his own feelings later. Right now he had to think about Theodore's well-being. Aloud, he said, "But my mother--"

"She'll want to make him over into a proper pureblood heir," Lupin said. "But we won't let her. Besides..." He hesitated for a moment, then continued in a soft voice, "Selima is a stranger to him, after all, so her words, however sharp and cruel they might be, do not have the same impact on him that they do on you."

Snape grimaced; he didn't like hearing those words, didn't like admitting to himself that he cared what his mother thought of him, because that would give her power over him. "What was going on back at the Manor, anyway?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he'd intended. "It almost seemed like you were pushing the idea of an adoption." Lupin looked worried and a little hurt, so Snape softened his voice slightly. "Did you know that Theodore was jealous of Dylan?"

Lupin shook his head. "No, but I knew he was still insecure about his place in our family, and that he needed reassurance that we--and you especially--love him. I told you that your approval means a great deal to him."

"I didn't realize," Snape said, looking a little shamefaced. "You've always been the one that the children adore."

Lupin smiled. "I told you that you were more popular than you thought!"

"But I could have adopted him without dragging my family into it," Snape protested, then frowned. "Although then he would have no inheritance, but maybe Morrigan could have helped me find some way for him to retain his family estate if--"

"It's not just about Theodore," Lupin interrupted. He hesitated again, sure that Severus wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "I feel a little sorry for Selima; she will be all alone when your father dies--"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Snape said, scowling. "My mother's hardly the sentimental type, and she can always go back to her family if she starts getting lonely, which, quite frankly, is very hard for me to picture."

"How many people would want to go running back home to their parents at age...what is she, about sixty...?"

"Fifty-seven, but close enough."

Lupin blinked in surprise. "She really was young when she had you; she wasn't exaggerating when she said she was just barely out of school when she married, was she?"

Snape paused to think. "I believe they were betrothed shortly before she graduated, and were wed several months later--a proper pureblood wedding takes time to plan and arrange. I came along a couple of years later."

"And is your father really twice her age?" Lupin asked.

"She was eighteen when they married, and my father was almost forty, so yes. She was very young, and there was a large age difference between them, but it was an arranged marriage, after all. It was not so very uncommon back then, although more so now; parents are a little more indulgent of their children these days."

Lupin was silent for a moment. "I don't condone the way she treated you as a child, Severus, but it sounds like she was a victim of pureblood politics herself--forced into a loveless political marriage to a stranger twice her age. Perhaps that is why she is so cold and bitter--and why she is so angry at you now. Because you escaped the fate that she did not."

"She didn't have to marry my father," Snape said sullenly.

"It doesn't sound like her family gave her much of a choice," Lupin pointed out.

"Not all choices are easy, Lupin," Snape said coldly, "but there is always a choice. She could have chosen to defy her family and risk disinheritance. I did."

"Not everyone is strong enough to stand alone, Severus," Lupin said softly. "I was not, to my shame and regret." Then he smiled and added, "Besides, if Selima had chosen to defy her family and marry her mysterious suitor, you would not exist, so I am very grateful that she chose to marry your father!"

"Well, there is that," Snape conceded with a wry smile. "But I still don't wish to reconcile with my mother."

"I don't expect you to forgive her or welcome her with open arms," Lupin said, his expression turning serious. "But we will have to have some contact with her, if Theodore is to become the Snape heir."

"I know," Snape sighed unhappily.

"Why did you turn out different from your parents?" Lupin asked softly, reaching out to caress his cheek. "Why are you not a cold-minded Slytherin scheming to climb the ladder of success and make a politically advantageous marriage?"

"Dumbledore, I suppose," Snape muttered reluctantly. "And Branwen. And most of all, you." He caught Lupin's hand and held it against his cheek for a moment. "Perhaps if I had never met you, I could have resigned myself to marrying whatever woman my parents chose for me. But once I had been with you, I couldn't stand the thought of making a cold, loveless marriage like theirs." The old pain and sorrow of their long separation were reflected in Snape's black eyes, but there was also a hint of amusement, as Snape smiled and lifted Lupin's fingertips to his lips and kissed them tenderly. "You have forever ruined me for anyone else, werewolf."

Lupin grinned. "No wonder your mother hates me! But seriously, Severus, perhaps for Selima there was no Dumbledore, no Branwen, no Lupin, no one to show her that there was a different path she could have chosen. Perhaps she--and your father--were only doing what their own parents had taught them. I shudder to think what their families must have been like, for them to think that punishing a child with a Cruciatus Curse was a normal and acceptable thing to do."

Snape scowled again. "Must you be so damn reasonable and fair-minded, Lupin? What you're saying is probably true, but this is not a fairy tale, and I hope you're not expecting a happy ending. My parents are too set in their ways to change."

Lupin thought that it was probably too late for Severin, but he had some hope for Selima. Maybe he was just being a naive, idealistic Gryffindor, but he had heard the pain beneath the anger in her voice when she had been raging at Severus about all the sacrifices she had made for him. She had once been capable of feeling love, and perhaps that capacity could still be reawakened; surely someone who could feel such pain was not as cold as she outwardly appeared to be. And what Lupin also found encouraging was that Selima showed the ability to adapt and change. It was clear that she despised her son's werewolf lover, but she was willing to put up with his presence, even grudgingly enlist his aid, to ensure the Snape succession. Maybe someday their uneasy truce would grow into tolerance, or even acceptance. A bit far-fetched, no doubt, but Lupin resolved to try his best to bring it about, for Severus's and Theo's sakes. Lupin smiled inwardly; he could not fight his Gryffindor optimism any more than Severus could his Slytherin cynicism.

But Lupin said none of this out loud, because he knew that it would take more than hope and good intentions to change his lover's mind; only time, and Selima's own actions, could make that happen. So all he said was, "For now, I will settle for a truce."

"Yes, that's the best we can hope for right now," Snape sighed. "Although I'd call it more a state of cold war than a truce. But I'll contact Morrigan about the adoption papers first thing tomorrow morning."

"You know, Severus," Lupin said musingly, "it just occurred to me that eventually we're going to go through the same problem again." Snape gave him a blank stare. "When Selima finds out that Theo isn't likely to marry a proper pureblood girl and sire a child, either."

Snape grinned wickedly. "I hadn't thought of that, but you're right! But it doesn't matter, so long as she doesn't find out about it until after my father dies. Then I will be Lord Snape, and she will have no power to disown me, or Theodore. And he's young enough that she won't seriously consider arranging a marriage for him for at least a couple of years, so by the time she finds out the truth, it will be too late." He cackled, suddenly looking much more cheerful. "Ah, I can't wait to see the expression on her face!"

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, my love," Lupin said, laughing. He rose to his feet and held out his arm; Snape took it and they headed to the bedroom together.

Snape cackled again. "Selima Snape, scion of one of the shrewdest merchant clans in the wizarding world, outsmarted by a Gryffindor werewolf!"

"You say that as if 'Gryffindor' were synonymous with 'stupid,'" Lupin complained.

"Normally it is," Snape chuckled, "but I will acknowledge that you are as clever and devious as any Slytherin, Lupin!"

"High praise, coming from you," Lupin said with a smile, and kissed him.
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"I'm really sorry, Theo," Dylan apologized again, as they headed back to their dorm. "I had no idea you felt that way."

"It's not your fault," Theodore assured him, feeling very embarrassed. "I was being stupid. It's just that you've always been so close to the Professor..."

"It's just that I've known the truth about him longer," Dylan said. "I learned that he was working against the Death Eaters towards the end of my fourth year, and a shared secret tends to bring people closer together. But I knew he cared about you, too, Theo. He wouldn't have fostered you if he didn't, or paid for Morrigan De Lacy to get our estates back, or have gone into such a rage when Blaise's father wrote that letter demanding that you and Blaise be separated."

Theodore felt even more stupid now that Dylan had pointed these things out to him. Snape had shown by his actions, if not by his words, that he cared about Theo. "I thought maybe he just felt sorry for me."

Dylan snorted. "Snape is not the type to go around feeling sorry for people! Lupin, maybe, but not Snape. He does his best to look after the Slytherins, but I don't think that he would have taken just anybody into his home, Theo."

"You're right," Theodore admitted.

"Are we okay now?" Dylan asked anxiously. "You're not mad at me?"

Theodore shook his head. "I was never mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong; you were always a good friend and brother to me. I just wanted to be as close to the Professor as you are."

Dylan smiled, looking relieved. "I envy you a little, Theo, that you get to be the Professor's real son."

"But you could have--" Theodore started to say, looking startled.

Dylan shook his head. "No, I can't help but feel like I would be betraying my father somehow, if I gave up his name. Even if I never really knew him, even if he was a Death Eater, I still love him. And it was important to my mother that I be a Rosier."

"Are you okay with this?" Theodore asked, beginning to feel a little worried; it had never occurred to him that Dylan might envy HIM! "With me becoming a Snape?"

But to his relief, Dylan smiled warmly at him. "I'm fine with it, Theo; I'm happy for you. It doesn't really matter what our last names are--Snape, Lupin, Rosier, Nott--we're all still family."

"You're right," Theodore agreed again. He supposed it was a little silly that a small thing like changing his last name should make him so happy, but it did.

They entered the dorm, and to their surprise, there were a number of students waiting for them in the common room despite the late hour: Draco, Serafina, Damien, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Millicent, and Brad. As soon as Theo and Dylan walked into the room, they all looked up with concerned looks on their faces.

"Is Professor Snape okay?" Draco asked.

"And is his father really dying?" Pansy added.

"Yes, he's okay, and yes, his father is dying," Dylan replied.

Brad frowned. "How can he be okay if his father is dying?"

"He's not that close to his family," Dylan explained. "They disowned him, remember? Of course he's a little upset, but I think he'll be all right."

"And keep quiet about it," Theodore cautioned. "He won't like people gossiping about his personal life."

"Of course WE won't gossip about it!" Pansy said indignantly. Theodore raised his eyebrows, giving her a skeptical look.

"None of us want to get turned into a toad," Damien joked.

"But you can bet everyone else in the school will be gossiping about it behind his back, after that Howler!" Pansy continued.

"I hope the Gryffindors are stupid enough to gossip about it to his face," Draco muttered.

"What's going to happen now, anyway?" Millicent wanted to know. "I mean, will the Snapes make the Professor their heir again? He is their only child; there's no one else to give the title to, unless they go looking for distant cousins."

Dylan and Theo exchanged a look; Theo shook his head slightly. He didn't want to talk about the adoption until it had been legally formalized, almost afraid that he might jinx things by talking about it out loud, and besides, as he had told Pansy, Snape wouldn't appreciate them discussing his personal business casually with their classmates. Although if Theodore really did become a Snape, they would find out soon enough, but he would let Snape decide how and when to tell everyone about it.

"He and his family are still trying to work things out," Dylan said cautiously. "That's one of the reasons why his mother wanted him to come home. But it's not our place to talk about it; that's between the Professor and his parents."

"Meaning it's none of our business," Serafina said firmly, giving her housemates a slightly reproving look. "We just stayed up to make sure that the Professor was all right. Now that we know he is, we should all go to bed."

"Yes, ma'am!" Draco said with mock fear, and she smiled a little. "Besides," he added with a grin, "if the Snapes reinstate the Professor as their heir, word will spread soon enough. The Ministry clerks aren't very good at keeping secrets."

Everyone said goodnight, and they all headed to their rooms. "Is everything really okay, Theo?" Blaise asked when they were alone.

Theodore nodded. "Snape wants to adopt me," he said.

"What?!"

Theodore hadn't meant to spring it on Blaise out of the blue like that, but he was so happy that the words had just slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. So he found himself explaining, a little haltingly, how he had been jealous of Dylan, how Lady Selima was intent upon finding a Snape heir, and how Snape had decided to adopt him.

Blaise smiled and hugged him and said, "That's great, Theo, I'm really happy for you," but Theo felt a certain amount of tension in his lover's body as he hugged him back.

"What's wrong, Blaise?"

"Nothing," Blaise said, a little too quickly.

"What is it?" Theodore asked insistently.

Blaise bit his lip for a moment, then said hesitantly, "It's just...if you become the Snape heir, won't you be expected to produce an heir of your own one day?"

"Oh!" Theodore exclaimed, as the impact of Blaise's words hit him, and he slapped himself on the forehead, then grinned sheepishly. "I'm so stupid! I didn't even think of that." Blaise was still looking anxious, so Theodore said reassuringly, "Don't worry, I don't think that the Professor and Remus will try to force me into an arranged marriage. I mean, how could they object to us--it would sort of be like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"People aren't always logical about these things," Blaise said. "And Snape's parents--"

"Snape doesn't like his parents very much," Theodore said, unconcerned. "He won't listen to them. Besides, if they don't want to give me the estate, that's fine with me. All I want is to be the Professor's son."

"You don't think the Professor will object to us, then?" Blaise asked uncertainly.

"I don't think so," Theodore said, then grinned. "At least you're a Slytherin; I'm sure Dylan's romance with Granger bothers him way more! Besides, I'm not sure, but I think maybe Remus knows about us, or at least suspects. I'm sure he'll take our side and make things right with Snape." Theodore yawned. "I'm more worried about your parents."

"You're right," Blaise said, looking a little guilty, then kissed him lightly on the mouth. "I'm probably worrying about nothing. It's getting late; we should get some rest."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

But Blaise remained awake after Theodore fell asleep in his arms, still worrying about pureblood families and their need for heirs.

 

Part 34