Aftermaths, Part 46

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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Aric stood outside Lupin's office door on Saturday morning, impatiently tapping his foot; it was five minutes after he was supposed to have met Lupin to begin his detention, and the werewolf was nowhere in sight. He thought enviously of the students who were still lounging around lazily in the Slytherin common room; a few were even still in bed sleeping. Apparently the Hogwarts students could sleep as late as they wanted on the weekends, although it meant that they missed breakfast if they slept too late. But Aric had learned from listening in on his housemates' conversations that one could always sneak down to the kitchen and cadge some treats from the house-elves, so late risers were not likely to go hungry. In fact, Professors Snape and Lupin had been absent from the head table at breakfast this morning, which caused some of the younger students to voice concern that one or both of the Professors might be ill, while some of the older students smirked or giggled or voiced sly speculations as to what the Professors might be doing until Theodore flushed and told them to shut up. Maybe if Aric was lucky, Lupin really was sick, and his detention would be cancelled, or at least postponed.

But he had no such luck; Lupin was walking quickly down the hall towards him, combing his disheveled long hair with his fingers. "Sorry I'm late, Aric," the werewolf said apologetically, sounding out of breath. His cheeks were flushed, so perhaps he had been running; Aric tried not to think about what other activities might have caused that flush. "I...um...overslept. Ready to go?"

"Yes, sir," Aric said sullenly.

"Good," Lupin said cheerfully. "Let's go meet Master Bleddri."

Aric was not surprised that they "just happened" to bump into Theodore and his friend Blaise along the way. Aric's cousin had been one of the students lounging in the common room, and Aric had noticed Theo casting a suspicious glance his way when he left the dorm. No doubt Theo had followed him to see what he was up to; it surprised Aric a little that Lupin apparently hadn't told Theo about the detention.

"Good morning, Theo, Blaise," Lupin greeted the two boys, sounding surprised but pleased. "You're up and about early this morning."

"Good morning, Remus," Theodore said casually. "We were just on our way to the library."

Lupin raised his eyebrows and smiled. "The library on a Saturday morning? My, how diligent of you!"

"We have a lot of research to do for Professor Blackmore's class," Theodore replied innocently. "Er...where are you off to?"

Lupin grinned. "Aric has volunteered--" Aric snorted. "--or rather, been coerced, into helping out at the charity clinic in Diagon Alley."

"What?!" Theodore exclaimed, giving Aric a jealous and resentful look, which eased the sting of serving detention slightly for Aric.

"The Professor didn't exactly give me a choice," Aric said, but he smirked at his cousin. "It's part of my detention."

"You're welcome to come along with us, if you like," Lupin offered, and Aric scowled at him.

Theodore looked a little sulky when his friend reminded him, "We're supposed to meet Dean and Seamus later to work on our project, and you have Quidditch practice after lunch," but Aric felt relieved. It was bad enough serving detention with the werewolf without having his cousin tagging along.

"Another time, then," Lupin said with a smile, and laid his hand on Theodore's shoulder. "Perhaps next weekend. Stop by later tonight, and we can discuss it. Besides, I'm sure Severus would love to have another chance to beat you at chess."

Theo's sulky expression vanished, and he smiled and said, "Yes, sir." Lupin squeezed his shoulder, then he and Aric continued on their way as Theo and Blaise went off in another direction.

Master Bleddri was waiting for them outside the castle beside one of the horseless carriages that were used to transport the students to and from the Hogsmeade station. Well, "horseless" in the sense that Aric could not see any beasts hitched up to it, although he assumed one or more of the invisible Thestrals would be pulling it. Aric supposed that most of the Hogwarts students would be surprised to learn that a student from a school with as Dark a reputation as Durmstrang had never witnessed death, but he hadn't. In fact, it was likely that far more of the Hogwarts students could see the Thestrals than their Durmstrang counterparts, considering that the dramatically dubbed "Final Battle" had taken place on the Hogwarts grounds. And of course Aric knew for a certainty that Theo could see the Thestrals because he had witnessed Rafe's death...

"Why do we need to take a carriage?" Aric asked sullenly. "Wouldn't it be quicker to take the Floo?"

"It would," Lupin said in that annoyingly chipper tone he always used; his good mood undampened by Aric's sullenness. "But the Thestrals need the exercise, and a carriage ride is more fun, don't you think? Besides, we have some boxes of food, clothing, and potions to deliver to the clinic, more than we could carry in our arms going through the Floo."

"Charity goods and hand-me-downs?" Aric sneered.

For the first time that morning, Lupin frowned. "Never look down on anyone less fortunate than yourself, Aric. You never know when your positions might become reversed."

Bleddri opened the carriage door and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Get in. The sooner we get there, the sooner your detention will be over, and the sooner we can all go home." There was a dangerous glint in his yellow-green eyes, and Aric climbed into the carriage without further complaint.

During the ride to Diagon Alley, Bleddri lectured Aric in that same stern tone of voice, "You will keep a civil tongue in your head while we are at the clinic, Mr. Dietrich. You will likely be encountering a number of werewolves, and not all of them are as good-natured as Professor Lupin and I are."

Aric could not by any stretch of the imagination picture anyone calling Bleddri "good-natured," and his disbelief must have shown on his face because Bleddri grinned in sardonic amusement, revealing his sharp, fang-like canine teeth. Aric swallowed hard and felt the blood drain out of his face; it was easy to forget sometimes that Lupin was a werewolf, but it was impossible to regard Bleddri in as cavalier a manner.

"Thus, for your own safety, and for theirs--because I don't want any of my fellow werewolves being sent to Azkaban for ripping your throat out--you will refrain from making any of the snide remarks and insults that you normally indulge in at school. Is that clear, Mr. Dietrich?"

"Yes, sir," Aric said meekly.

"Good," Bleddri said. "Because if there is any trouble, you will answer to me. Personally."

"Yes, sir," Aric repeated. He might be a little hotheaded, but he was not a complete idiot; pissing off any werewolf was a dangerous proposition, and he had the feeling that Bleddri was more dangerous than most. Of course, any werewolf who attacked him would no doubt be sent to prison or even executed, but that would be cold comfort to Aric if he were killed, or God forbid, turned into a werewolf himself. Bleddri seemed satisfied with his response, and Lupin, damn him, looked amused. Aric sighed; it was going to be a very long two hours...

They made a quick stop at Slug & Jiggers to pick up more packages. "Hello, Professor Lupin," the shopkeeper said, greeting Lupin as if he were an old friend. "Master Bleddri. I have your order ready." He set several wrapped parcels and a large box on the counter. "And is this one of your students?"

"Yes," Lupin replied. "This is Aric Dietrich, one of Severus's Slytherins. Aric, this is Mr. Jigger, the owner of the shop."

Aric nodded politely, and Jigger smiled at him. "Another one of Professor Snape's proteges?" he asked.

Bleddri snorted derisively and Lupin said politely, but somewhat evasively, "Well, Aric is a new student, and school has just started, but he seems to be doing quite well in Potions class so far."

"You should bring young Mr. Rosier by again sometime," Jigger told Lupin. "Is he graduating this year?"

"No, Dylan is in his sixth year, so he still has one more year to go."

"Pity," Jigger said. "I could use an apprentice; I'm getting on in years, and I would like to retire soon, if I could find someone to take over the shop. Not just anyone will do; it has to be someone who will keep up the high standards that the Jiggers have established since the shop was first opened by my great-great-great-great-grandfather. Of course, if Mr. Rosier is as good as Professor Snape says he is, I'm sure he'll have many job offers when he graduates, but tell him to keep me in mind."

"I certainly will," Lupin said, and handed a couple of parcels to Aric. "Here, carry these out to the carriage, if you will." They were bulky but light; probably potion ingredients. Lupin picked up the remaining parcels, and Bleddri grabbed the box, which made clinking noises as he lifted it.

"What are these, anyway?" Aric asked, as they stowed away the packages in the carriage.

"These are bottles of Wolfsbane Potion," Lupin said, tapping the box. "Severus sent over some of the extra stock he had on hand, but he didn't have time to brew more this month, due to...er...his family situation. He's only made enough for Lukas and myself. Fortunately, now that the Ministry has fully funded the Distribution Program, we can purchase the potion from other sources, and don't need to rely as heavily on Severus as we used to."

"And the parcels?" Aric asked.

"Ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion," Bleddri replied. "We have a couple of volunteers skilled enough to brew it. They have full-time jobs to attend to, though, so they don't have time to brew enough for the entire Distribution Program, which is why we buy some from Slug & Jiggers and St. Mungo's."

They pulled up behind the clinic and carried the packages in; a pretty young woman with spiky black hair came out to help them. Bleddri greeted her with familiarity and affection, so Aric supposed she was probably another werewolf. She certainly had a lycanthrope's strength, and picked up a heavy box filled with potion bottles as if it weighed nothing.

"Thanks, Kyra, but don't you have to work today?" Bleddri asked.

"I don't start for another hour, but it's good that you and Remus came by; we're a little shorthanded today, and it's always busy during the week of the full moon."

"You found a job?" Lupin asked. "That's wonderful!"

The girl grinned, exposing sharp canine teeth; yes, she was definitely a werewolf. "Yeah, down the street over at the Magical Menagerie. Guess they figured I'd be good with animals, seeing as I'm part wolf myself." She seemed to be more amused than offended by the idea. "Personally, I prefer dealing with animals over humans any day of the week." She smiled at Aric and said, "Need a familiar? I can get you a discount."

Bleddri gave Aric a hard look, and mindful of his teacher's earlier admonition to be civil, all he said was, "Thank you, but not right now."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Lupin exclaimed. "Kyra, this is my student, Aric Dietrich. Aric, this is Kyra Lowell." He grinned. "Which is, incidentally, a French name meaning 'little wolf'."

"An alias?" Aric asked, then remembered what Bleddri had said in Interspecies Relations about werewolves not liking to discuss their past. "Uh...never mind; it's none of my business."

But Kyra just laughed. "Yes, it's just a little inside joke. Lukas helped me pick out that name after my family disowned me. I liked the idea of using a name that meant 'wolf' without people realizing that I really was one. By the way, Remus, Brian got a letter from his nephew the other day. He was so happy; I can't thank you enough for patching things up between them." Lupin's eyes flickered over to Aric, and Kyra quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, there's a visitor out front who'd like to see you, Remus. We can put away the supplies later."

Aric followed the werewolves, wondering who the nephew was that Lupin had patched things up with. If he didn't want Aric hearing about it, that must mean that this nephew was another Hogwarts student. {Interesting,} he thought to himself, trying to guess which one of his classmates might be related to a werewolf. Of course, it could be someone in a completely different House or year...

They passed through the back of the clinic into the waiting room at the front, and found a tall man with long black hair waiting for them. He was handsome, but his face was a little gaunt and looked rather worn--the result of spending over a decade in Azkaban, no doubt, because he recognized that face from the pages of the Daily Prophet.

"Moony!" Sirius Black shouted joyfully, and gave Lupin a hug.

"Sirius!" Lupin said, hugging him back. "What a pleasant surprise; I didn't expect to see you here today!"

"Yes, well, as Head of Werewolf Support Services, I thought I ought to visit the clinics participating in the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program."

"Branwen told me about your new job," Lupin said, giving Black another hug. "Oh, Padfoot, I'm so proud of you! I think it's wonderful! By the way, this is Aric Dietrich--Rafe's nephew. Aric, this is my friend, Sirius Black."

"Yes, Branwen has told me all about you," Black said, giving Aric a measuring look, and Aric wondered what Professor Blackmore had told him. But then Black just smiled, politely if cautiously, and said, "Nice to meet you. Your uncle was a friend of mine."

Aric wasn't sure how to respond to that, but Lupin spared him from having to reply by saying, "So how's the job going, Sirius?"

"I'm enjoying it," Black said, "although dealing with the bureaucrats and all the red tape drives me nuts! Arthur's pretty much given me free reign, but there are some grumblings about how much we're spending on the Distribution Program and Werewolf Support in general. Quiet grumblings, because the werewolves are still regarded as heroes of the war, but..."

"That will wear off eventually," Bleddri said grimly.

"So I'm trying to think of ways to make the Program more self-supporting," Black continued.

"And how do you intend to do that, Black?" Bleddri asked caustically. "Do you expect us to sell our blood and fur to potions shops?"

"Get a grip, Bleddri; of course not!" Black said indignantly. "Cassidy thought we could sell these; it's his latest invention." He opened a large cardboard box and set what looked like a plush toy wolf cub on the counter. It had fuzzy gray fur, and was impossibly cute and cuddly looking. "Up!" Black said, tapping it on the nose, and the toy came to life. It barked, did a back flip, chased its tail, and then when Lupin bent down to get a closer look, licked him on the face.

Lupin laughed. "That actually feels a little wet; very realistic!" He picked up the toy wolf, and it snuggled against him, wagging its tail vigorously.

Bleddri regarded the toy with disgust. "How do you turn it off?" he asked sourly.

Black tapped it on the nose and said, "Down!" and the wolf suddenly became an inanimate plush toy again. "So what do you think?" Black asked. "It's the perfect pet--you don't have to feed it or walk it, and you can put it away when you're done playing with it."

"It's adorable," Lupin said. "I'm sure it will be a big hit."

"Plush toy werewolves?" Bleddri asked incredulously. "Come on, Remus, doesn't that offend you just the slightest bit?"

"No," Lupin replied cheerfully.

"It's not actually a werewolf," Black added helpfully. "It doesn't transform."

"It is kind of cute," Kyra giggled.

"KYRA!" Bleddri howled, looking outraged.

"Well, perhaps it will make us seem less threatening to people," she pointed out practically. "No one could possibly be scared of something that looks like that."

"I'd rather be thought of as a monster than a plush toy!" Bleddri shouted.

"Look, Lukas," Black said, "I can understand why you don't want to be thought of as cuddly, but Cassidy didn't mean any offense, and he intends to donate all the profits to the Distribution Program and other Werewolf Support programs. And if these toys sell as well as his music boxes and recording spheres, that could turn out to be quite a large sum of money..."

Bleddri let out an exasperated sigh. "Plush werewolves," he muttered. "What's next, vampire dolls? Wind-up Dementors?"

Black started pulling more toy wolves out of the box and began lining them up on the counter; they all looked the same except for the color of their fur: brown, black, white, and a peculiar shade of pale yellow-brown that might have looked blond on a human.

Kyra giggled again. "I think this one is supposed to be you, Lukas," she said, patting the yellow wolf.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Bleddri roared, and Aric found himself cringing. "Dammit, Black, your friend can sell his toy wolves, but I will not have one modeled after me!"

"So who says it's you?" Black asked innocently, but there was a little gleam of mischief in his dark eyes.

"Normal wolves don't have blond fur," Bleddri said sarcastically.

"Fine," Black said, picking up the blond wolf cub. "I'll tell Cassidy to stick to gray, brown, black, and white." He started to put it back in the box, but Kyra asked, "Can I keep it?"

"No!" Bleddri snarled, baring his teeth.

Kyra shrugged. "No need to be so grumpy, oh mighty Pack Leader."

Black took out his wand, uttered a brief incantation, and the toy's blond fur changed to black. "Here you go," he said, handing it to Kyra.

She accepted it, but said, "I liked it better the other way."

Lupin chuckled and stroked the brown cub. "Is this one supposed to be me? Tell Cass he needs to add some gray to it!"

"The people who come to this clinic don't have money to buy fancy toys," Bleddri grumbled sulkily.

"Oh, these are just some of the prototypes," Black said. "Cassidy was waiting for your approval before starting to mass produce them, but he said we could give these away to the children who come to the clinic."

Bleddri's expression softened slightly. "Oh, all right," he said grudgingly.

"He'll be sending out a few samples to toy and gift shops to drum up interest," Black said. "And then he should have the first batch ready to hit the stores in a few weeks."

"That's great, Sirius," Lupin said enthusiastically. "I'm sure they'll be very popular, especially with Christmas coming up in a few months. It could be THE hot toy to have this Christmas!"

"Ho ho ho," Bleddri said sourly. "Come on, Dietrich, let's get to work. The rest of you can join us when you're through playing with your dollies."

Aric obediently followed Bleddri to the back of the clinic, and helped him carry the boxes and packages into a storeroom. A young man poked his head out of the door of another room as they walked by. He was tall and slim, with a long black plait hanging down his back, and he was wearing lime-green robes and a pair of gold wire-rimmed spectacles that kept sliding down his nose. He absent-mindedly pushed them back up closer to his brown, almond-shaped eyes and said in a mild voice, "My goodness, what is all the commotion about?"

Lupin came up behind them chuckling. "Oh, Sirius was just showing us Cassidy's toy wolves. Lukas doesn't approve."

The young man laughed. "Lukas, my friend, you don't have much of a sense of humor, do you?"

Bleddri growled irritably. "I wasn't aware that I needed one."

The young man just smiled; Aric noticed that he had a gentle and good-natured demeanor not unlike Lupin's. "It's not necessary, but it does make life more pleasant."

"Are you a werewolf, too?" Aric asked. Perhaps he was prying, but this wizard didn't seem to be the type who was easily offended.

Lupin said, "Oh, excuse me! Aric, this is Takeshi Kimura, a mediwizard from St. Mungo's who volunteers at the clinic. Takeshi, this is my student, Aric Dietrich, from Hogwarts."

Kimura smiled and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. It's good of you to help out today."

Aric opened his mouth to say that he hadn't been given any choice in the matter, but Bleddri kicked him in the shin and glared at him. So he shook the mediwizard's hand and mumbled, "It's nothing."

Kimura's dark eyes sparkled with laughter, but he just replied politely, "To answer your question, no, I am not a werewolf, but my parents, who run the Sakura restaurant, were sponsors of the original Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program."

"They were one of the first ones to sign up, along with my friend Cassidy," Lupin said, smiling warmly at the mediwizard. "The Sakura is an excellent restaurant; ever been there, Aric?" Aric shook his head. "Then perhaps I'll treat you to lunch after we're done here." Lupin winked at him. "Providing you do a good job, of course."

Aric chose not to dignify that with a response, and Bleddri said, "There aren't many human mediwizards or Healers willing to work with werewolves, so Takeshi has been a great help. Besides seeing patients, he also brews the Wolfsbane Potion for us. Which reminds me, we brought over the ingredients from Slug & Jiggers."

"Wonderful!" Kimura said with a smile. "I'll get started on a batch right away, then." To Aric, he said, "To be honest, that's my main job here. I do tend injuries and illnesses, of course, but werewolves heal so quickly that they rarely need my help--except for people who have just been infected by an attack. A werewolf's healing powers don't seem to fully kick in until their first transformation. Fortunately, with the Wolfsbane Potion widely available now, such attacks are rare." He sighed sadly. "Of course, with the high poverty rate among werewolves, malnutrition, depression, and drug addiction are commonplace, and not as easy to treat as a broken arm or a case of the flu." Then his expression brightened a little. "But things have been getting better since the equal rights bill was passed."

"Professor Lupin said that the clinic was open to any needy wizard, werewolf or not," Aric said. "Don't you have any human patients?"

"A few," Kimura said with a sad smile. "Mostly spouses or children of my werewolf patients. Only the most destitute humans, who have nowhere else to turn, are willing to come to 'the werewolf clinic,' as we are unofficially dubbed. Of course there is no danger, since all the werewolves who come here are taking the Wolfsbane Potion, but fear is not a rational thing, I suppose."

"Why aren't you afraid to work with werewolves?" Aric asked curiously.

Kimura smiled gently at him. "The Japanese do not fear the shapeshifters the way you British wizards do. The wolf was once regarded as a divine creature in my homeland."

Aric stared incredulously at his teachers; it was difficult to think of the irritable Bleddri in his shabby clothes and the cheerful, chirpy Lupin as godlike. Lupin grinned and winked at him again. Aric shook his head and asked Kimura, "You're Japanese? I mean, as in from Japan? You speak perfect English."

"Well, I was born in Japan," the mediwizard said, "but actually I've spent most of my life in England, although I do return home to visit my relatives during the summers. I even went to Hogwarts; I graduated a couple of years ago. You must be a transfer student, because I don't remember seeing you there."

"From Durmstrang," Aric replied, then asked in a dry voice, "Which House were you in? Let me guess; you're an idealist, so it must be Gryffindor."

Kimura laughed. "No, Ravenclaw. And let ME guess--with such cynicism, you can only be a Slytherin." Aric grudgingly smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgment.

Bleddri clapped his hand on Aric's shoulder and said, "Well, Mr. Dietrich is serving detention today, so we'd better get him back to work," but in a good-natured manner. For some reason that he couldn't quite explain, Aric suddenly felt annoyed with his teacher for revealing that he was here as part of his punishment rather than as a real volunteer, even though Aric himself had been about to say the same thing before Bleddri had kicked him earlier.

Aric sullenly returned to helping Bleddri with the packages they had brought with them in the carriage. The potion ingredients went to Kimura, who went off, presumably to start the Wolfsbane Potion. The bottles of pre-made potion went onto shelves in the storeroom, the boxes of food into the pantry, and the boxes of clothing they opened and began sorting by size and type. "Isn't this a health clinic?" Aric asked as he placed a neatly folded child-sized robe onto a stack of similar-sized robes.

"Technically, yes," Lupin replied, as he sorted through a pile of secondhand robes, a little faded and out of fashion, but still sturdy and in good condition. "But it also serves as a distribution point for food and clothing donations."

"One-stop shopping," Bleddri said, with a slightly bitter smile.

"There's no shame in accepting help when you need it," Lupin said quietly.

"So says Mr. I'd-rather-live-alone-in-my-shack-in-the-woods-than-accept-charity-from-my-friends," Bleddri said sarcastically, but looked guilty when Lupin flinched. "Sorry, Remus," he said apologetically.

"You're right," Lupin told him, still in that quiet voice. "I let my pride get the best of me, and I spurned the efforts of the friends who would have helped me. But I could afford to, because although I was poor, I had my cottage and my garden and my meager income from my intermittent translation jobs, and I knew that I wouldn't starve. And it was more than pride that caused me to hide away from the world, Lukas. The people I cared most about had either died or turned against me: James, Lily, Peter, Sirius, and Severus." He looked up, a sad, crooked smile on his face. "Since bad things seemed to happen to my friends, I thought perhaps it would be better, for them and for me, to keep away from the few friends I had left."

"Remus," Bleddri said, shaking his head.

"I know, I know," Lupin laughed. "Don't worry, Branwen gave me a very stern lecture on self-pity awhile back!" He turned to Aric, who was staring at him thoughtfully. "Anyway, I do tell the werewolves who come here not to be ashamed of accepting help, and that they can return the favor to others when their fortunes improve. That way it isn't really charity, you see?"

Aric said nothing, continuing to fold and stack clothing in silence. He wasn't sure why it should bother him that Lupin had apparently lived in poverty and lonely solitude for many years. He told himself that he didn't care, but somehow that silent inner voice didn't sound convincing, even to himself. Lupin seemed to feel guilty about the fates of his friends, although from what Aric had read in the Daily Prophet, most of the fault belonged to Peter Pettigrew, who had sold his friends out to Voldemort, and a little to Black, who had switched places as the Potters' Secret Keeper with Pettigrew in the first place; Lupin didn't seem to have any direct involvement in the matter, at least, not officially. Aric had no idea what might have transpired between him and Snape in the past, although they had clearly patched up whatever differences they'd had. Then Aric wondered if he would hate Theo less if his cousin seemed to show more guilt and remorse over their uncle's death, and suddenly he could hear Theo's voice saying, "You cannot possibly hate me more than I hate myself." So...Theo did feel guilty, but that didn't really make Aric feel any better.

{I hate Theo!} he told himself. {I won't feel sorry for him; I'll make him pay!} He determinedly resolved not to let Lupin's softheartedness rub off on him and distract him from his revenge. Bleddri watched him with narrowed eyes, but Lupin seemed to take no notice of Aric's brooding, and blithely filled up the silence with cheerful small talk, chattering about how cute the toy wolf cubs were, Kyra's upcoming wedding to someone named Brian, how wonderfully romantic Black's wedding to Blackmore had been, as had Percy Weasley's wedding to Penelope Clearwater, on and on, ad nauseam until Aric wanted to strangle him.

Even Bleddri was beginning to look annoyed. "I can't understand what a cynical, jaded Slytherin like Snape is doing with a chirpy Gryffindor idealist like you, Remus," he said.

"Opposites attract," Lupin said, grinning.

Just then, Black called out cheerfully, "Hey, Moony, we've got a customer!"

Aric followed Lupin and Bleddri out front to find a dark-haired woman dressed in shabby but clean robes, and a small, dark-haired boy who was laughing and squirming as Kyra hugged and tickled him. When the boy spotted them, he broke away from Kyra and ran towards them, shouting, "Uncle Lukas!"

"Uncle Lukas?" Aric muttered incredulously as Bleddri laughed, scooped the boy up and tossed him in the air.

"Lukas, please!" the woman protested as the boy landed safely in Bleddri's arms, but the boy shrieked with laughter, shouting, "Do it again, Uncle Lukas!"

Bleddri tossed the boy up one more time, gave him a hug, and then set him back down on the floor, much to his disappointment. He gave the boy's mother--at least, Aric assumed she was the mother--a hug as well, saying, "Good to see you, Rachel. Come to get more of the potion?"

"Yes, please."

"And what about you, Max?" Bleddri said, kneeling down to pat the boy on the head. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," he said, then suddenly sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Max!" Rachel shouted in exasperation. "I told you to use your handkerchief!" She pulled one out of her own pocket and bent down to wipe his face with it. "He has a bit of a cold, nothing serious."

"Well, why don't we let Takeshi take a look at him while we get your potion?" Lupin suggested.

While the mediwizard examined the boy, Bleddri gave Aric an empty basket and told him to put six bottles of Wolfsbane Potion in it. That still left the basket more than half-empty, and Aric asked, "Shouldn't we add some padding or put them in a smaller basket? They might break, rattling around like that."

"Don't worry, I intend to fill it up," Bleddri replied. He added an adult-sized robe, a few articles of children's clothing, and some food--a loaf of bread, a small smoked ham, and a wedge of cheese. Everything now fit snugly together in the basket.

Aric carried the basket back to the examining room, where Kimura declared, "No fever; it's nothing serious, just a minor cold, as you said, but you can give him this tea twice a day to ease the symptoms." He added a small brown paper package to the basket Aric was holding, then after pausing to think for a moment, also added a small jar of honey. "To sweeten the taste," he said with a smile.

"Oh, good!" Max said. "Your medicine usually tastes yucky!"

"Max!" his mother snapped.

"Unfortunately, medicine usually does taste 'yucky'!" Kimura laughed. "But the honey should make it bearable. And here, this is for you, since you were such a good patient." He handed the boy a lollipop.

"Thanks, Uncle Takeshi!"

Aric handed the basket to Rachel, who flushed, looking a little embarrassed. "Thank you," she said to Bleddri. "I've just started working at the Leaky Cauldron as a maid, so I won't have to take handouts much longer."

"It's not a handout!" Bleddri growled sternly. "We are pack, and pack look after each other. Those of the pack who are employed always share with those who are not."

"But this is not coming just from the pack," Rachel protested. "It's coming from the Ministry."

"Yes, and the Ministry owes it to you," Black said grimly as he appeared in the doorway. "Since it's the Ministry's fault that werewolves were virtually banned from finding employment."

"Don't be so damned proud," Bleddri chided the female werewolf. "You have a cub to feed. And if it makes you feel better, you can come and volunteer at the clinic on your days off."

"I'll do that," Rachel said, looking more at ease.

"It just so happens that I could use some help right now," Black said in a more cheerful tone to Max. "I have some toys that need testing." The boy eagerly followed him back out to the waiting room, where Black showed him the toy wolves. "My friend made these toys, and now they need good homes. Why don't you go ahead and pick one out?"

After a great deal of deliberation, Max decided on the brown wolf, and Lupin grinned proudly. Black showed him how to turn the toy on and off, and the boy laughed as the plush wolf barked and licked his face.

"What a delightful toy," Rachel laughed, smiling indulgently at her son.

"Am I the only one who's offended by those things?" Bleddri muttered grumpily.

"You've done me a big favor," Rachel confided to Black as Max played happily with his new toy. "He's been pestering me for a pet, but I don't have the money to feed one or the time to look after it. This is perfect."

"What did I tell you?" Black said to Bleddri with a smug smile; the werewolf leader just scowled.

"By the way, Lukas," Rachel said earnestly, "I just want to tell you that we're all so proud of you. Imagine, one of us, a teacher at Hogwarts!"

"Two of us, actually," Bleddri said, looking very embarrassed. "Remus was already teaching there, after all."

"How is it going?"

"Er--"

"Oh, he's doing just fine!" Lupin answered for Bleddri in a chirpy tone, and his colleague glared at him. "The students really respect him!"

"They must," Rachel said with a smile, glancing at Aric, who was wearing his Hogwarts uniform, "if they're coming in to volunteer at the clinic in their spare time."

Lupin, still smiling sweetly, stepped hard on Aric's foot, and Aric decided it was best if he kept his mouth shut. Bleddri gave them both a sardonic smile.

"Maybe you'll be teaching Max in a few years," Rachel continued, still blithely unaware of the unspoken messages being sent between Lupin, Aric, and Bleddri.

"I look forward to it," Bleddri said, then muttered under his breath, "assuming I still have a job then." And then it was Bleddri's turn to wince as Lupin stepped on his foot.

Rachel and Max said goodbye, departing with the basket and the toy wolf. After they left, Aric said, "I thought that Kimura--" Bleddri gave him a stern look. "--I mean, Mr. Kimura said that werewolves heal quickly and usually don't need his services."

"Max is human," Bleddri said. "His mother was bitten after he was born."

"And the father?" Aric asked.

"No longer in the picture," Bleddri said in a bitter voice, and Aric supposed that meant he had abandoned his wife after she was infected. "But that's none of your business. Come on, Mr. Dietrich; let's get back to work."

"But if the boy wasn't infected, why wouldn't the father have kept his son?" Aric asked, unwilling to let the matter drop, for some reason. It seemed dishonorable and incredibly unfair for a father to abandon his son. But then, hadn't he told his whiny Potions classmates that the world wasn't fair?

"Tainted by association," Bleddri said darkly.

"Much as Theo, Dylan, Draco, and the other Death Eaters' children are tainted by association because of their parents' crimes even if they did nothing wrong themselves," Lupin said softly. Aric scowled and said nothing in reply.

 

Part 47