Aftermaths, Part 34

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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Snape got up early (leaving Lupin snoozing peacefully in bed) and contacted Morrigan De Lacy at home, since it was not likely that she would be in her office yet. She might be annoyed at being woken up so early, but he figured that a fat retainer fee would likely soothe her irritation. However, she was already up and sipping a cup of coffee when he contacted her through his mirror, although she was peering at him sleepily through heavily-lidded eyes and her hair was falling across her shoulders in a wave of unruly curls instead of being neatly tied back or pinned up as it usually was.

"Severus!" she said, opening her eyes a little wider with surprise. "What can I do for you?" Snape explained, and she drained the cup of coffee in one gulp, suddenly looking wide-awake, her eyes glowing with interest. "I assume you want the papers drawn up as soon as possible."

"Time is of the essence," Snape said. "I will of course pay your usual fee, plus extra for the short notice."

Morrigan waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it; I'll send you a bill later. I can have the paperwork for the adoption drawn up by this afternoon, but Theodore will not legally be entitled to the Snape inheritance until your father signs a document reinstating you as his heir."

"My mother assures me that will not be a problem," Snape said, grimacing slightly. "Which reminds me, I need to tell her that I've decided to adopt Theodore."

"I'll contact Lady Snape and make the arrangements if you like," Morrigan offered.

"Are you sure?" Snape asked, feeling relieved at being able to put off talking to his mother for a little while longer.

"Yes," Morrigan replied cheerfully. "I've heard a great deal about Selima Snape, and I look forward to finally meeting her."

"You might change your mind after you actually do meet her," Snape said dryly.

Morrigan just laughed. "If she gives me a hard time, I'll just add it onto your bill, Severus!"

Snape let out a little snort of laughter. "You will have earned it, I'm sure."

"I can bring the papers by after classes are over," Morrigan said.

"Thank you, Morrigan," Snape said. "Bring them to my office, I'll make sure to leave the Floo open for you."

After talking to Morrigan, Snape went to the registrar's office to get Aric Dietrich's transcript. He was looking it over when Lupin stumbled out of the bedroom and flopped down on the couch next to Snape. He yawned and snuggled up against Snape, resting his head on Snape's shoulder. "You're up early, love. What are you reading?"

"I got up early to talk to Morrigan about the adoption papers," Snape replied, frowning down at the transcript. "She's bringing them by afterschool."

"That's wonderful, Severus. Is this something to do with the adoption?"

"No, since I was already up, I decided to take a look at Mr. Dietrich's transcript record before class starts," Snape said, handing the folder to Lupin. "I wanted to get an idea of what we'll be dealing with."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with his grades," Lupin said, skimming over the transcript. "In fact, they're excellent. No demerits or black marks on his record, he was a Beater on one of the school Quidditch teams..."

"If these records are accurate," Snape said, "there's no reason for him to have switched schools in his final year. Although of course it's possible that Durmstrang might have left something out..."

"Maybe there's no sinister reason, Severus," Lupin said hopefully. "Maybe he just wanted to be closer to his family. He's had to spend a great deal of time away from home for the past six years."

"Maybe," Snape said dubiously, "but I think there's more to it than that. And it's clear that he and Theodore don't get along. That boy is trouble waiting to happen."

"Some people might have said the same thing about Draco and Dylan," Lupin pointed out. "I don't think that we should assume the worst of him without getting to know him first. He is related to Rafe, after all, and Rafe Dietrich was one of the kindest people I have ever known; there wasn't a malicious bone in his body."

"Rafe was an abnormality in his family," Snape said. "Not unlike your friend Black. And more to the point, the Dietrich family has held a grudge against the Notts all these years because they suspected Thaddeus was involved in Rafe's disappearance, and their hostility is only likely to increase now that Rafe's death has been confirmed."

"You think they'll blame Theodore," Lupin said, looking worried.

"Dumbledore didn't tell the Ministry and the Dietrich family the whole story," Snape said, "just that Rafe was killed because he was trying to prove that Thaddeus was a Death Eater. But I'm sure they can guess that Rafe probably died trying to protect Marta and Theodore, and now that Thaddeus and Marta are both dead, that leaves only Theodore to become the focus of their anger."

"You don't think that Aric or his family would try to hurt Theodore, do you?" Lupin asked, looking alarmed.

"I think that we had better keep a close eye on Mr. Dietrich," Snape said grimly. "Maybe this adoption is a good thing; they'll be less likely to move against the heir to the Snape family than they will an orphaned boy whose family doesn't want him."

"If Theo is in danger--" Lupin cried.

"Calm down, Lupin," Snape said, trying to make his voice sound soothing; Lupin's eyes were beginning to go feral as the wolf perceived a threat to its cub. "I don't think it will go that far; the Dietriches care for their safety and their reputation, or they would already have moved against Thaddeus long ago. I will drop a few not-so-subtle hints that a hero of the war and a former Death Eater are not to be trifled with, and I will have Aric expelled if he steps the least bit out of line. But I can't exactly have them arrested without any evidence just because I think they might become a threat in the future." Snape cursed under his breath. "I wish I knew what the old man was thinking, admitting the Dietrich boy to the school!"

"Maybe he would like to see Aric and Theo become friends," Lupin suggested, "and mend the rift between their families."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Snape said, a disgusted look on his face. "You know, sometimes you Gryffindors can take your idealism too far! The only likely result I see is that Aric and Theodore will be at each other's throats all year." He sighed regretfully. "Just once, I would like to have a nice, peaceful, uneventful school year!"

Lupin just smiled and said, "You would be bored to tears if that ever really did happen!"

"I can live with the boredom," Snape said dryly.
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Dumbledore confirmed Lupin's guess at breakfast. "Aric's parents requested that he be admitted to Hogwarts, and I had no valid reason to turn them down--"

"Other than that they regard Theodore as the enemy because his father killed Rafe," Snape said pointedly.

"If I had to ban all the students whose families didn't get along with each other, these halls would be half-empty," Dumbledore replied, and Snape grudgingly had to admit that was true. "They haven't tried to harm or threaten Theodore in any way, have they?"

"Not yet," Snape said darkly.

"Aric is still young," Dumbledore continued. "There is still time for him to change--" When Snape snorted derisively, the Headmaster gently added, "As Draco and Harry have changed, as Theodore himself has changed."

Snape scowled. "I still think you're asking for a miracle."

"Maybe so," Dumbledore said, "but this is the last chance we have to mend things between them, as this is their final year in school. Once they are adults, if things continue as they are, it is not likely that they will spend much time together, and things will never change; they will hate each other for the rest of their lives."

"Is that really so bad?" Snape muttered.

"But if they are forced to spend a year together in close quarters," Dumbledore continued, ignoring him, "perhaps they will learn to get along, or at least to view each other as individuals rather than simply as enemies."

"I still think you're asking for too much," Snape grumbled, "but I'll go along with it, so long as Mr. Dietrich does not become a danger. But if his animosity shows the slightest sign of moving beyond words, if he casts even the smallest, most trivial of hexes at his cousin, I will ship him back to Durmstrang immediately."

"Agreed," Dumbledore said without arguing, somewhat to Snape's surprise.

"Perhaps everything will work out," Lupin said hopefully as he looked towards the Slytherin table.

"Not likely," Snape said pessimistically, but when he followed Lupin's gaze, he saw that Aric and Theodore were glaring at each other sullenly, but nothing more--no brawls, no hexing, no arguing. That was probably the best they could hope for right now. Snape shrugged and began eating his breakfast. Potter and Malfoy had managed to spend six years at school together without killing each other, after all, so Theodore and his cousin ought to be able manage one year. At least, he hoped so.

Meanwhile, Gryffindor table was abuzz with gossip--about Professor Snape, not surprisingly.

"I wonder what's going on?" Seamus said with his mouth full, then hastily swallowed as Lavender gave him a disapproving look. "With Snape, I mean. D'you think his dad is really dying?"

"I didn't know he had a dad," Ron muttered.

"Of course he has a father," Ginny said impatiently. "Everyone has a mother and a father!"

"His parents disowned him or something a long time ago," Parvati said. "Because he was a Death Eater. Pansy would probably know more about it."

They looked over at Snape, who seemed as grumpy as ever--maybe even more so than usual--as he argued with the Headmaster about something. "He doesn't exactly look like he's in mourning," Dean said skeptically.

"The Professor is not the type to show his emotions on the outside," Hermione said, looking worried. "I hope he's all right."

"Me too," Allegra chimed in. "I like Professor Snape; he's nice."

Everyone at the table stared at her in shock, except perhaps for Ginny and Hermione, although even they looked a little surprised to hear Snape described as "nice". "Nice?" Dean asked incredulously. "SNAPE?!"

"He is!" Allegra insisted. "I don't know why everyone thinks he's so mean! He was really nice to me and Blaise. He stopped by our shop with Professor Lupin to fix things with Daddy when he didn't want Blaise hanging out with Theo and Dylan because people might think he was a Death Eater. He convinced Daddy it was okay for them to be friends, and then he treated me and Blaise to lunch at this Japanese restaurant; it was really fun, we got to sit on the floor. And he and Professor Lupin threw a birthday party for Theo and Dylan that was really fun, too. Hermione and Ginny and Harry and Ron were there, too--didn't you think it was fun?"

"You went to Snape's house?" Dean asked Harry, looking even more shocked. "For a birthday party for Rosier and Nott?"

"Well, actually, it's Lupin's house," Harry said a little defensively. "And I think they only invited the rest of us because Hermione is seeing Dylan."

"It was fun, wasn't it?" Allegra insisted. "There were games and fireworks and cake and presents and--"

"It was lots of fun," Hermione agreed firmly.

"Anyway, I hope his dad isn't really dying," Allegra said, looking concerned again. "Maybe we can ask Dylan and Theo after breakfast?"

But after breakfast, Snape headed over to the Slytherin table and motioned for Theodore and Dylan to stay behind. Parvati waved at Pansy and Millicent, though, and they came over, along with Blaise and Damien, and confirmed that yes, the Professor's father was very ill and near death, but that was all they knew and that the Professor would not want them gossiping about it.

"But it's nice of you to be so concerned about the Professor," Damien added, smiling at Parvati and Lavender.

"Yes, well, he's not exactly what we thought he was," Parvati said, lowering her eyes modestly, then peering up at Damien obliquely through her thick, dark lashes. "He was very brave to spy on the Death Eaters and all."

Blaise gave his friend and the Gryffindor girl an exasperated look, wondering how they could manage to flirt while discussing the Professor's dying father. "Come on," he said impatiently, "we've got to get to class. You too, Allegra; you don't want to be late on your first day." He bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"Okay, Blaise," she said obediently, and ran off with the other first years.
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"Come to my office after classes are over," Snape told his foster sons. "Morrigan will be bringing the adoption papers for us to sign."

"Yes, sir," the boys said.

An idea suddenly occurred to Snape. "And perhaps you could spread the word among your housemates that Miss Kendrick is Professor Blackmore's cousin." That way Snape wouldn't have to do it himself. "The Professor is concerned about the girl, and I'm sure she would appreciate it if her housemates made her feel welcome in Slytherin."

Dylan grinned. "Draco's already taken care of that, sir! At breakfast today, he said it was nice to see her again, and then of course Pansy wanted to know where he had met her before. Once they found out that Slaine was related to Professor Blackmore, everyone was falling all over themselves to be nice to her!"

Snape chuckled. "Good for Mr. Malfoy; he handled that nicely. He finally seems to be gaining a little subtlety."

"Oh, Draco's very eager to keep on Professor Blackmore's good side himself," Dylan laughed. "He still shudders a little every time Bane glares at him."

"Very well," Snape said. "You had better get to class, then, Dylan. And Theodore, since Advanced Potions is your first class of the day, perhaps we can walk down to the dungeon together."

"Yes, sir!" Theodore said, beaming happily as if he'd just been granted a special privilege. Snape smiled back at him, feeling pleased but a little bewildered; he still wasn't used to being regarded with anything but fear or loathing by his students. He was not quite sure when Theodore had changed from a sullen Death-Eater-in-the-making into the vulnerable boy who was so eager for his approval, although he supposed it had all begun last Halloween, when he had discovered by accident the hex-burn on Theodore's wrist. Or perhaps it had begun even earlier, when Dylan had entered Hogwarts and befriended Theodore, who had slowly begun shifting his alliances away from Draco's crowd to Dylan's. But however and whenever it had happened, Snape was grateful for it, and found that he was actually looking forward to becoming a father. Not that he wasn't already a parent to both boys; a name change and a signature on a piece of paper should not make that great a difference, but Lupin would no doubt say it was symbolically important or some such nonsense. Dylan cheerfully waved good-bye and ran off to class, and Snape and Theodore headed to the Potions classroom together.
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When Snape got there, he found his students regarding him with curiosity, concern, or both. "I'm very sorry to hear about your father," Granger said earnestly.

"We are not here to discuss my personal life," Snape snapped. "I am here to teach you Potions, and you are here to learn; that is all. Everyone take your seats!" The girl gave him a hurt look that made him feel a little guilty, and Potter and Weasley glared at him, but they all hastened to take their seats. Maybe Potter and Weasley would mouth off to him and give him a chance to take some points off Gryffindor; the thought cheered Snape up a bit.

"We will begin with a Fire Shield Potion," Snape said. "Which is...?" Draco and Hermione immediately raised their hands. "Mr. Malfoy."

"As the name implies," Draco said promptly, "it provides the imbiber with protection from fire, so that one could handle hot coals with one's bare hands or literally walk through fire. Or--" He smirked at Harry. "--not be harmed by dragon's breath."

"Wish I'd known that before the First Task," Harry muttered, remembering how he had been burned during the Triwizard Tournament.

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said. "Five points to Slytherin." Draco's smile grew wider. "Of course, it is only effective if prepared properly." The students began exchanging worried looks, except for Granger, who was apparently confident about her potion-brewing skills--with good reason, Snape grudgingly admitted--and Aric Dietrich, who was slouching back in his chair with his customary sneer on his face. "Thus, I am also giving you a second assignment at the same time: to mix a batch of Burn-Healing Paste, which should come in handy for those of you who fail to brew your potion correctly." He gave them his most evil and sinister Potions Master grin, which shook even Dietrich's composure for just a second, although he quickly recovered and put the sneer back on his face. It did, however, look less genuine, and Snape was pleased to know that he hadn't completely lost his touch, even if Lupin did claim that he had become a "softie". "Of course," Snape continued, "those of you who fail at both assignments will be in a spot of trouble, won't you?" Longbottom and Weasley went a little pale. Snape carelessly waved his wand and writing appeared on the blackboard, and the door to the stores cupboard popped open. "Follow the instructions precisely; deviating from them can have dangerous consequences." Longbottom and Weasley looked even more pale now. "And some of the ingredients are expensive, so don't waste them. There are only enough for each of you to create one potion, so if you make a mistake, you won't get a chance to start over; you'll simply have to take a failing grade."

"Like he's ever given us a second chance," Ron muttered under his breath.

"Five points off Gryffindor for your cheek, Weasley," Snape said, which did indeed make him feel much better; how nice of Weasley to oblige him. "Now get to work!" Snape slowly circled around the room, observing the students' progress; they all seemed to be working quite diligently. "Good work, Mr. Nott, Mr. Zabini--you too, Mr. Malfoy." He noticed that Pansy and Millicent were working as a team; one girl was heating their cauldrons of water and steeping pieces of alder bark and stalks of vervain, while the other had begun slicing the saxifrage roots that would need to be added later. He had not told them that they could assist each other, but they seemed to be working more efficiently than they would alone, and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded approvingly at them. "Slice those roots more carefully, Mr. Corner. The fire under your cauldron is too high, Miss Patil; you can't rush the process." Justin Finch-Fletchley started a little as Snape came up behind him, and almost dropped the vial of salamander blood he was holding. "Be careful, Mr. Finch-Fletchley! Did I not tell you that some of these ingredients are expensive?"

"Sorry, sir," the boy muttered, flushing a little. He looked over at the Slytherin section of the room, perhaps expecting to see mocking looks, but only Aric snickered a little. The other boys seemed to be too busy with their potions to notice, and the girls actually looked up and gave him sympathetic, if somewhat distracted, smiles. Finch-Fletchley looked surprised, and truthfully, Snape was too. He heaved a sigh of resignation; Branwen seemed to have succeeded in infecting his students with her spirit of inter-House cooperation.

Snape was just heading over to observe the Gryffindors when Granger suddenly shouted, "No, Neville! You can't add the salamander blood and the Ashwinder eggs at the same time--you could cause an explosion!"

Snape instantly pulled out his wand and ran over to see Longbottom jerking his hand--which held an Ashwinder egg--back from the cauldron. Snape breathed a quick sigh of relief, then snarled, "Longbottom, you idiot! Didn't I tell you to follow the instructions precisely?"

"Oops," Neville said as he looked at the blackboard again. "Sorry, Professor, I guess I overlooked one of the steps."

"You could have set this classroom on fire!"

"I'm sorry," Neville said, looking frightened and remorseful; Hermione patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner.

"He didn't know," Harry said defensively. "The instructions don't say that combining the two ingredients can cause an explosion."

"He wouldn't be combining them if he were following the instructions correctly," Snape said coldly. "And I did warn you that there would be dangerous consequences for not following the instructions. But I suppose I should have anticipated Longbottom's incompetence." Potter glared at him, and Snape was about to take five more points from Gryffindor when something suddenly occurred to him. "By the way, Miss Granger, how did you know that the Ashwinder eggs would react to the salamander blood that way? We never covered that in class."

"I read about it, sir," Hermione replied. "I was reading about the Fire Shield Potion in the Advanced Potion Brewing book that you--er, that Professor Lupin gave me, and I was wondering why the ingredients had to be added in that precise order, so I did some extra research over the summer."

Snape stared at her, feeling impressed in spite of himself, and wrestled with his conscience for a moment. The girl really deserved some extra points for that, but he couldn't stand the thought of giving points to Gryffindor. And he still remembered how the five points he had given Gryffindor in sarcasm last term had led them to be tied with Slytherin for the House Cup, when Slytherin could have won it outright if he hadn't. But on the other hand, he had just taken points away from Gryffindor, so he wouldn't actually be giving them anything extra...

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Snape finally said. Five points seemed a little measly, and what the hell--he could always find an excuse to take another five points off Gryffindor later.

Every person in the room stared at Snape in shock, including Hermione, although a huge smile quickly spread across her face. Harry and Ron just stood there with their mouths hanging open, and they weren't the only ones.

"WHAT?!" Draco shrieked.

"Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked in an icy voice, giving him a glare that said he had better not.

"Uh...no, sir," Draco said weakly.

"Then get back to work, all of you!" Snape snapped. "Your potions had better be ready to bottle by the end of class unless you want a failing grade!"

They quickly resumed working on their potions, although Aric glanced at Hermione, then at Draco, and said scornfully, "You two are such teacher's pets."

"Mr. Dietrich," Snape said, gliding over to Aric and hovering over him menacingly. "I expect my students to work during my class, not make idle chitchat. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Aric said sullenly.

"I do not know how things are done at Durmstrang," Snape said sharply, "but I expect you to treat me with respect and address me as 'Professor' or 'sir' at all times. Is that clear, Mr. Dietrich?"

"Yes...sir," Aric said.

His voice was carefully expressionless, but the long pause between the two words bordered on insolence. Snape was tempted to dock points from him, but that would mean taking points from his own House, which sort of defeated the purpose as far as Snape was concerned. "I'll be watching you carefully, Mr. Dietrich," he said, deciding to let it go with a warning this time. "Any further insolence, and you'll be serving detention."

"Yes, sir," Aric said, his voice respectful even if his eyes were not.

Snape saw Theodore gloating a little out of the corner of his eye; he didn't normally mind playing favorites, but if he let Theodore lord it over Aric the way Draco had lorded it over everyone, it would no doubt lead to further problems. "And the rest of you," Snape snapped, letting his eyes rest on Theodore for a moment before moving on to sweep the rest of the classroom. "What are you looking at?" All the students hastily bent over their cauldrons, instantly becoming absorbed in their potion brewing. The rest of the session went by without incident.

"Bottle and label your potions and leave them on my desk," Snape said curtly at the end of the period. "They'll need to steep for a few days, so you will spend your next session making the Burn-Healing Paste." Snape grinned sadistically. "And then at the end of the week, we'll test your potions to see how effective they are." The students, particularly the Gryffindor boys, looked worried again. Enjoying himself immensely, Snape added in a cool voice, "Of course, if you followed the instructions correctly, you have nothing to worry about. For your homework: twelve inches of parchment on the uses of salamander blood in potion making. Class dismissed."
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"Well, if Snape's dad is dying," Ron grumbled as they left the dungeon, "he sure doesn't seem to be too broken up about it!"

"You don't know how he's feeling on the inside, Ron," Hermione scolded. "He's very good at covering up his feelings; he had to, as a spy. None of us knew he was in love with Professor Lupin until we saw them kissing."

"I'm still trying to forget about that," Ron muttered.

Pansy giggled, "Well, I think it's very romantic!"

"You would," Ron said disgustedly.

"Is it true that Snape's family disowned him?" Harry asked.

Pansy nodded. "A long time ago. I don't know whether it had anything to do with Professor Lupin or not; everyone just assumed at the time that it was because he had gotten mixed up with the Death Eaters. They've been estranged for years; that may be why he doesn't seem that sad about his father."

"He looked very upset when he got the Howler," Hermione insisted. "I'm sure he feels bad, but he just doesn't want everyone else to know it."

"I don't think Snape is as cold-hearted as he seems," Lisa Turpin said suddenly. "Dylan says that Snape was always kind to him."

"And he was a hero of the war," Justin added, to the surprise of his housemates. "I think he's changed a lot since last term--I mean, he actually gave points to Gryffindor!"

The Slytherin girls smiled, looking pleased to hear their Head of House being defended. "Not to Gryffindor," Millicent said, giving Hermione a sly look. "To Granger. Maybe he's decided to favor you now that you're Dylan's girlfriend." She and Pansy laughed as Hermione's face turned red.

"You do realize," Theodore pointed out, "that Snape is going to skin us all alive if he catches us gossiping about him like this."

Pansy and Millicent just laughed again, but they changed the subject as they crowded around Hermione and said, "So tell us about how you managed to snag Dylan Rosier! We want to hear all about your secret romance!"

Hermione made blushing demurrals, but the other two were insistent, and Padma Patil and Hannah Abbott joined in, adding their pleas of, "Come on, you've got to tell us about it!" Hermione was a little embarrassed, but at least they seemed curious rather than hostile, and being the center of attention like this was a unique experience for her. She had never been popular, in her Muggle school or at Hogwarts, and had never really wanted to be, but having no close girlfriends other than Ginny, she found that she was actually enjoying being part of this laughing crowd of girls. So she let them cajole the information out of her, while the boys of the various Houses followed behind, shaking their heads in disgust, except for Blaise, who looked amused. Lisa joined the crowd of girls, giving Hermione a friendly smile, although she just listened quietly and didn't press for information like the others, while Susan Bones hung back a little, frowning.

Aric Dietrich trailed well behind the rest of them, lost in thought. The information his parents had given him was outdated, it seemed. They had told him that Snape was despised by his students, but the Potions Master actually seemed to be quite popular, despite his sour demeanor and his scandalous relationship with Lupin. Aric decided that he would have to reevaluate the situation. And he wanted to get a closer look at this werewolf lover of Snape's, who also seemed to be popular, at least among the Slytherins. Slytherins usually regarded those not pure of blood with contempt, and he wondered what had happened to change their attitude so drastically.

 

Part 35