Aftermaths, Part 53

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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Dumbledore decreed the last Saturday of September a Hogsmeade day, as Lupin had requested. The students were a little puzzled, as the first Hogsmeade day of the school year was normally Halloween, but they weren't about to question their good luck. McGonagall and Hagrid accompanied the students as chaperones, but as the threat of the Death Eaters had ended, the students were allowed to roam the village freely, and were instructed only to stay out of trouble and meet back in front of The Three Broomsticks when it was time to leave, although McGonagall warned that anyone who abused their newfound freedom would have their Hogsmeade privileges revoked for the rest of the school year.

The students were surprised when Lupin, Snape, and Bleddri also accompanied them to Hogsmeade. Lupin had served as a chaperone once or twice, although he normally remained back at the school, and Snape had never accompanied the students to Hogsmeade for as long as anyone could remember. Lupin said cheerfully that he had a few errands he needed to run, while Snape just scowled and remained silent.

"I'll bet they're going on a date!" Pansy whispered to her friends. "Lupin's all dressed up!" Lupin was wearing a robe of plush, dark blue wool embroidered with gold and silver thread around the edges; it was not quite a formal dress robe, but fancier than his everyday robes. They had seen him wear it before, but not very often, usually only on special occasions like holidays or feast days. He was also wearing a brooch pinned at the throat of the high-collared robe; it was made of bronze and shaped like a wolf's head, with tiny glittering sapphire chips for eyes. Snape was dressed only in his usual plain black robes, but they suited his dark hair, pale skin, and regal bearing, and he and Lupin made quite a striking couple.

"How romantic," sighed Lavender.

"Do you think they'll go to Madam Puddifoot's?" Parvati wondered.

Draco happened to overhear and rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh, right, like Snape would be caught dead there, holding hands and cuddling with Lupin in front of all the students!"

Lavender giggled. "Okay, it's a bit unlikely, but I think it would be cute!" Draco rolled his eyes again.

"No, they wouldn't go to someplace as public as Puddifoot's," Millicent said thoughtfully. "I'm thinking someplace less noticeable, like The Hog's Head, maybe."

"Eww," Parvati said, wrinkling her nose. "That's not at all romantic!"

"Perhaps The Three Broomsticks, then?" Pansy guessed. "Or maybe they'll sneak off to have a picnic lunch near the lake."

"Now that would be romantic!" Parvati said.

"Oh Parvati," Damien sang out, "I would sneak off to the lake with you anytime you asked! I can be quite the romantic, too, you know!"

"Oh, you're such a flirt, Damien!" Parvati giggled, making a dismissive gesture with one hand, but she looked pleased.

"I'm not a flirt," he protested, "I'm a man who appreciates beauty--such as the vision of loveliness standing in front of me right now!" The girls all laughed. "C'mon, at least let me buy you a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks."

"Maybe," Parvati said coyly. "If you behave yourself."

Most of the students, particularly the girls, were too busy speculating about Snape's and Lupin's possible date to wonder why Bleddri had come along, but Colin Creevey did shyly ask the werewolf that very question.

"I've never been to Hogsmeade before," Bleddri said with a shrug. He was looking a little less scruffy than usual, in a clean though faded green robe instead of the shabby black overcoat he seemed to favor, and he had shaved off his short, scraggly growth of beard. (He didn't shave very often, but neither did he let his beard grow long enough to look neat and well-groomed, as if he were deliberately cultivating a seedy image.) "I thought I'd take a look around, perhaps have a drink at The Hog's Head." No one looked surprised to hear that, considering the werewolf's disreputable past. "And besides, I'm tired of being cooped up in the castle." He grinned, exposing his sharp teeth, causing Colin to swallow nervously despite the fact that he liked his teacher; Bleddri simply looked dangerous in a way that Lupin did not. "Wolves like to run free."

When they reached the village, the students ran off, dispersing to the usual popular spots: The Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, Zonko's, and Madam Puddifoot's. Snape, Lupin, and Bleddri strolled along at a leisurely pace, in the general direction of The Hog's Head. Lupin and Bleddri chatted casually, while Snape scowled fiercely to discourage any students who might be interested in following them. They passed by Martin Parry, who had paused outside Scrivenshaft's, gazing at the quills displayed in the window.

"Hello, Martin," Lupin called out cheerfully. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Oh, hi, Professor," Martin said, feigning surprise. "Yes, it is."

"Why don't you come walk with us for a bit?" Lupin asked. "I'd like to talk to you about that extra-credit assignment you're working on." Snape shot him a glare, as if annoyed that a student was intruding on their free time together.

"Sure, Professor," Martin said, and fell into step alongside them. They headed towards The Hog's Head, but instead of entering the inn, turned down a deserted side street.

"Come closer, Mr. Parry," Bleddri said. "I'll need to Apparate you with me over to London."

"Yes, sir," Martin said obediently, if a little nervously, and moved closer to Bleddri, who put an arm around him. A moment later, the four wizards vanished and the street was empty.
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They reappeared in Diagon Alley. "We have a few errands to run before the wedding, if you don't mind," Lupin said.

"Of course not, sir," Martin said. "Actually, I haven't had a chance to buy a wedding present yet, so maybe..."

Lupin smiled. "We have a little extra time. I'm sure you'll be able to find something while we're here, but let's run our errands first."

Their first stop was at a wine shop. The wedding meal was potluck, Lupin explained, and he and Snape were contributing the beverages. They picked up some bottles of wine and champagne, and after a thoughtful glance at Martin, Snape added a bottle of nonalcoholic sparkling cider.

The next stop was the Zabinis' junk shop, where Lukas's gift, a tea service, was on hold; he had paid a little extra to have it repaired and gift-wrapped. "Hello, Master Bleddri, Professors," Marius Zabini said with a pleasant smile.

While Lukas picked up his purchase, Martin idly browsed the shelves, regarding musty books, broken wands, and chipped plates with only mild interest. Then his gaze fell on an antique pewter picture frame, wrought in an elaborate design of leaves and vines.

"It's very beautiful," Lupin said with a smile. "It's a bit tarnished, but I know a good polishing spell."

"Do you think they'd like it?" Martin asked.

"I'm sure your uncle would like anything you gave him," Lupin assured him. "The frame is lovely, and they could use it to display a wedding photo."

The price was listed as "1 Galleon, 10 Sickles," which seemed quite reasonable, especially as Martin didn't have a lot of money to spend anyway. His family wasn't poor, but they didn't believe in letting their son waste money on frivolous things like candy and magic tricks--especially after he had gone a little overboard during his first trip to Hogsmeade back in third year and come back with a stomachache. He had learned his lesson, but his parents still doled out only a small allowance for him to spend at Hogsmeade. They would give him extra money for special occasions--to buy birthday and Christmas presents, for example--but he could hardly tell them that he wanted to buy Uncle Brian a wedding gift when he wasn't supposed to be attending the wedding in the first place.

So with a shrug, Martin handed over the money; the frame did look much nicer after Lupin cast the polishing spell on it, and Mr. Zabini offered to gift-wrap it for a couple more Sickles. With the wedding gift taken care of, they continued on their way, and stopped by Fortescue's to pick up Lukas's contribution: a large tub of ice cream. The werewolf shrugged, looking a little sheepish at Martin's questioning look. "I can't cook in my rooms at the school, and to be honest, I'm not very good at it anyway, so they told me to just bring the dessert."

"What about the wedding cake?" Martin asked.

"Oh, Molly's taking care of that, of course," Lupin replied.

Martin wondered who "Molly" was--another werewolf friend, perhaps? But when they reached the large, ramshackle house where the party was taking place, not far from Diagon Alley, he discovered to his shock that "Molly" was Molly Weasley, the wife of the Minister of Magic!

"Remus, Severus, Master Bleddri, how good to see you!" Molly exclaimed, giving Lupin a hug. She released Lupin, and smiled warmly at Snape, who scowled and took a hasty step backwards, just to be on the safe side, and at Lukas, who likewise took a step back, holding the tub of ice cream in front of him like a shield. Lupin chuckled, looking vastly amused, and his lover and his friend both glared at him.

"And this must be Martin," Molly said, her gaze falling upon the boy. "Brian has been talking about you all morning!"

"Er...you know my uncle, ma'am?" Martin asked.

"Of course," Molly replied matter-of-factly. "He's a friend of my husband, Arthur. Here, Master Bleddri, let me put that ice cream away until it's time for dessert, and Severus, you can put the drinks on this table, if you please. I hope you brought something nonalcoholic for the children...ah, I see you did! Wonderful!"

Martin gaped at her in shock as she bustled off. "Brian is friends with the Minister of Magic?!"

"They met before Arthur became Minister," Lupin explained. "They were sharing a room at St. Mungo's when Brian was recovering from the werewolf attack."

"Arthur helped us as much as he could, even back then," Lukas added. "He helped Brian find a job, and he and Dumbledore and Lupin got the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program going. And of course, he passed the equal rights bill when he became Minister."

"Martin!" Brian cried in delight, and the boy ran forward to embrace his uncle. Lupin and Lukas smiled indulgently, and Snape looked marginally less grumpy.

The house was one that several of the werewolves shared, a step up from their old apartment near Knockturn Alley, and they owned it outright instead of renting it--a gift from the Ministry in honor of their role in the final battle. Though in truth, it had not cost the Ministry anything, as it had been confiscated from the estate of one of the imprisoned Death Eaters. Still, Lukas was grateful that his pack had a place to live; no one would be left without shelter, even if they couldn't find work, although with the equal rights bill in place, many of them had found jobs and moved out on their own. Kyra and Brian, in fact, were moving into a nearby apartment after the wedding, and were quite excited about having their "own" place. Besides, Lukas thought with a smile, a pair of newlyweds really should have some privacy!

The house, though a little run-down and shabby, was clean and had been festively decorated with flowers and crepe-paper streamers. And the werewolves, though their robes might be faded and patched, were beaming with pride and affection, and the wedding was in its own way, as joyous an occasion as the much more elaborate wedding of Sirius and Branwen.

Takeshi Kimura, one of the few human guests other than the Weasleys and Snape, had volunteered to be the wedding photographer, and took pictures throughout the day of the wedding party and the guests. Martin proudly stood by his uncle's side as best man, Lukas walked the bride down the "aisle" (technically, the length of the living room), and Arthur conducted the ceremony. "I'm getting quite good at this," he said later to Lupin with a chuckle. "Perhaps I should take it up as a second career! I much prefer uniting two people in love to bickering with the bureaucrats at the Ministry."

The groom wore a new set of black dress robes (a gift from Arthur), and Kyra wore a dark green gown sewn by one of the female werewolves, who was a seamstress when she could find work. Her spiky black hair had been combed down neatly for the occasion, and she looked beautiful, although this was due not so much to her hair or the dress as it was to the look of radiant happiness on her face. Molly and Lupin wept as bride and groom exchanged vows and rings, while Snape repressed a sigh and tried not to roll his eyes; he really hoped that this would be the last wedding he would have to attend for a very long time. The werewolves cheered loudly, and Lukas declared, "Let the feast begin!"

Despite their limited budget, a veritable feast had indeed been laid out: homemade stews, meat pies, a roast chicken, a roasted joint of beef, and platters of sushi and teriyaki grilled meat from the Sakura (Takeshi's contribution).

"I should have brought a vegetable dish," Molly fretted as she looked over the buffet table.

"You had enough to do baking the cake," Lukas said reassuringly, looking much more relaxed and good-natured than normal. "Besides, we're wolves; we like meat. We're not really all that big on vegetables."

"But the children should eat a balanced meal," Molly protested.

"There are a few carrots in the stew," Lukas said, unconcerned. "Besides, it's a special occasion." Not wanting to ruin the mood, he didn't bother to tell her that the few children in his pack were lucky to be having a meal at all, let alone a balanced one; there had been many times in the past when they had all gone hungry.

No one other than Molly seemed to mind the lack of vegetables, and everyone ate heartily. "This stew is great," Martin said between mouthfuls, "but it tastes...well...different. I wonder what's in it?"

A werewolf with long, grizzled hair happened to overhear him and grinned proudly. "It's rabbit," he said. "Caught it myself."

Martin took a closer look at the werewolf and saw that he was wearing a long coat that seemed to be made of a patchwork of obviously home-tanned hides from unidentifiable animals. He glanced down at his plate and suddenly felt a little queasy.

Lukas laughed and clapped Martin on the shoulder. "Oh, don't be so squeamish, Mr. Parry! Meat is meat; what difference does it make whether it comes from a cow or a rabbit?"

"I didn't have a pet cow when I was a little kid," Martin muttered.

The two werewolves laughed uproariously. "There aren't too many cows roaming around the woods," the grizzled werewolf pointed out.

"You live in the woods?" Martin asked curiously. "Like...er..."

"Like a wolf?" the werewolf finished, but he didn't look offended. "Well, I don't run around on four legs except during the full moon, if that's what you mean. I have a little hut in the woods; got tired of trying to scrape up a living in the city, especially after the Ministry passed that anti-werewolf legislation a few years back. But I stop by every now and then to see how the pack is doing, maybe bring them some of my catch. Wolves are good at hunting." He grinned, exposing sharp canine teeth, and there was a feral gleam in his eyes. "I especially enjoyed hunting the Death Eaters."

Martin shuddered a little. "Er...great stew," he said nervously, then slipped away to talk to Brian and Kyra. He relaxed as his uncle discussed more pleasant matters, like Kyra's new job and the new apartment they were moving into. But Martin didn't eat any more of the stew or any other dishes that contained ingredients that he couldn't readily identify.

The wine and champagne flowed freely, enhancing the partygoers' good mood. Lukas called for a toast, and paused while everyone made sure that their glasses were filled. Snape saw Martin's eyes dart towards the champagne, and said sternly, "Don't even think about it, Mr. Parry." Lupin chuckled and topped off Martin's glass with more apple cider.

"To Brian and Kyra," Lukas said, raising his glass. "Long and happy may your life together be!"

"To Brian and Kyra!" the crowd echoed.

"I'd like to make a toast of my own," Brian said, after everyone had sipped from their glasses. "A toast to my family: my lovely bride, my nephew--" He smiled lovingly at Kyra and Martin. "--and to all of you, my pack, who gave me a home and a family when I was alone and frightened, who always stood by me no matter how much I tested your patience."

"TO THE PACK!" the werewolves roared, raising their glasses.

After lunch, the bride and groom cut the lavishly decorated three-tiered cake, which looked and tasted as good as anything the best bakery in London could have offered. When the last bit of cake and ice cream had been devoured, the chairs and tables were pushed back against the walls of the living room, clearing an empty space for dancing. A few of the werewolves took out musical instruments--guitar, fiddle, flute, and hand-held drum--and began playing. Brian and Kyra took the floor alone for the traditional first dance between bride and groom, then the other guests joined in. Lukas claimed a dance with Kyra, and Brian good-naturedly handed his bride over and danced with Rachel. Molly and Arthur danced together, smiling at each other fondly. Arthur murmured something into his wife's ear about how this reminded him of their own wedding day, and Molly blushed like a new bride. Takeshi continued taking pictures, but set down his camera long enough to claim one dance with the bride. While the adults danced, Rachel's son Max and the other children present played with Max's toy wolf cub. At one point, the children chased the cub across the room, weaving in and out between the dancers, who just smiled indulgently at them. Snape frowned at the lack of discipline, and repressed the urge to hand out detention.

The musicians possessed varying degrees of talent, but they were able to play in tune and in time, and their enthusiasm made up for any lack of polish. They started off with slow songs, then moved into an up-tempo jig.

Lupin smiled as he watched Martin dance with his new aunt; they both were laughing and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. "Would you like to dance, Severus?" he asked.

"You've got to be kidding, Lupin," Snape said with a scowl, sipping at his glass of wine.

"Why would I be kidding, Severus?" Lupin asked with a straight face.

"I have a reputation to uphold, Lupin," Snape replied.

"It's not as if you're among the cream of the pureblood elite," Lupin pointed out. "Why should you care what a bunch of unsavory werewolves think of you?"

"Must you always make a spectacle of us?" Snape sighed.

"It's not as if we'd be the only ones," Lupin said, motioning towards the dance floor, and there were indeed two female werewolves dancing together, as well as two male werewolves. "Nobody here cares about that, Severus." He smiled mischievously. "And no one here will report back to your mother."

"Mr. Parry is here," Snape objected.

"He isn't likely to report to your mother, either," Lupin said, winking at him. "And I'm sure he's too terrified of you to gossip about us to his classmates."

Snape didn't look convinced. "Gryffindors tend to show an incredible lack of common sense and self-preservation."

"And he's not supposed to be here," Lupin added. "He won't gossip about today's party because he won't want word getting back to his parents about it."

"Great," Snape grumbled. "We're helping a student disobey his parents and break the rules."

The band began playing a slow song, much to Lupin's relief, because he didn't think that he could get his lover to dance a jig, although the mental image that thought conjured up was highly amusing. "Please, Sev?" Lupin coaxed. "Just one song?"

"Oh, very well," Snape sighed. "I can see that you'll nag me about it all day unless I give in." He drained his glass of wine in one gulp to fortify himself, then took Lupin's hand and they joined the crowd of dancers. Martin's eyes widened, and the Weasleys looked startled, but no one else seemed to pay them much heed, which made Snape feel slightly better. And Lupin did look beautiful, moving gracefully to the music although Snape moved a bit stiffly. Suddenly Snape was glad that he had not let Lupin come here alone; the thought of Lupin dancing with someone else this way filled him with jealousy. Snape pulled Lupin a little closer to him, and the werewolf smiled up at him tenderly, looking so happy and grateful that Snape felt a little ashamed of himself for giving Lupin such a hard time. Yes, the werewolf did enjoy embarrassing him, but he knew that it meant a lot to Lupin for them to be public about their relationship, because Lupin had worried in the past that Snape might be a little ashamed about it. Lupin was so giving and compassionate, and complained so seldom, that Snape tended to forget that he wasn't the only one who was a little insecure. Lupin rarely asked for anything, so Snape supposed that he shouldn't deny his lover a small thing like a dance if it made him happy.

Lupin savored the possessive look in his lover's eyes as Severus pulled him closer, and he smiled up at Severus gratefully. He knew that public displays of affection like these made the Potions Master uncomfortable, and it made him so happy that Severus was willing to indulge him nevertheless. The mischievous part of him enjoyed teasing Severus, but that was not the main reason why he did it. The wolf wanted everyone to see its claim upon its mate, as if to say, "He is mine and everyone else had better keep their hands off him!" but most of all, the lonely, insecure schoolboy Lupin had been--ashamed of his lycanthropy, terrified of losing the few friends he had, having to keep his affair with his lover secret--wanted to know that Severus loved him enough show it in public, loved him enough to risk humiliation and disgrace. Perhaps it was a little selfish of him, but Lupin was tired of hiding and feeling ashamed; he wanted the whole world to know that he loved Severus and that Severus loved him. He knew deep down inside that he didn't need to test his lover this way, but from time to time, the part of him that was still the frightened schoolboy liked to be reassured, and the fact that Severus would kiss him in front of the entire school or dance with him at a crowed party proved beyond a doubt how much he loved Lupin.

"Happy now?" Snape whispered into his ear.

"Very," Lupin whispered back. He sighed contentedly and moved even closer to his lover, resting his head on Severus's shoulder.

Lukas gave the pair an amused smile; they remained completely oblivious to him and to everything else around them. For all Snape's bluster and sarcastic remarks, he was as devoted to and protective of his mate as any wolf. In some ways, for all that he was human, Snape was much more wolfish than Brian, who been a soft, pampered pureblood before being bitten and infected. Of course, Snape was a pureblood, too, but Slytherins tended to be predators by nature, and the Death Eaters even more so. Lukas sighed a little, wondering if he would ever find a mate for himself.

Snape danced with Lupin for not "just one song," but three, until the band started playing up-tempo music again; as much as he loved Lupin, there was a limit as to how much of a fool of himself he was willing to make. Lupin followed him off the dance floor without arguing, and seemed content to sit on the sidelines, snuggling up against Snape as they sipped wine and watched the remaining dancers. Snape flushed a little but didn't object, as there was no point in complaining about a snuggle after dancing with the werewolf in front of everyone.

When everyone seemed pleasantly tired and ready to call it quits, the musicians put away their instruments, and the dancers refreshed themselves with more wine, champagne, or cider, and Brian and Kyra opened their wedding presents. Most of the gifts were things they could use in their new apartment: pots and pans, Lukas's tea service, a set of china plates from the Weasleys, a handmade patchwork quilt from Rachel. Snape, ever practical, simply gave them a pouch of gold coins, and Lupin had carved a small statuette of two wolves nuzzling each other.

"It's delightful, Remus," Kyra said, and she and Brian both thanked Martin profusely for the picture frame, much to the boy's pleasure. Takeshi's gift was an empty photo album, which he promised to fill up with pictures after he got his film developed, and he also promised to send a few wedding pictures to Martin.

"It's getting late, Lupin," Snape finally said. "We should get back to Hogsmeade."

Martin sighed regretfully, then hugged his uncle and aunt and said goodbye. Brian hugged him back and promised to write to him. Then Martin joined his Professors, and they Apparated back to Hogsmeade.

"Thank you Professor Lupin, Professor Snape, Master Bleddri," Martin said. "For taking me to the wedding; I really appreciate it."

"It was Lupin's idea," Snape said with a scowl, "so you needn't thank me! And you are not to discuss...er...the day's events with anyone, including your housemates. Is that clear, Mr. Parry?"

He gave Martin his most threatening glare, and the boy meekly said, "Yes, sir," and ran off to join the other students. Some of his classmates asked him where he had been all day, and he replied vaguely, "Oh...around. I had some errands to run."

"Sneaking off to meet a girl, maybe?" one of his friends teased, and Martin just smiled and remained silent. His friends smiled knowingly, and began speculating as to who Martin might be seeing.

"Not so dumb for a Gryffindor," Snape grudgingly conceded, feeling relieved that the boy was keeping his secret as promised. "Deliberately misleading them without saying a word--that's a tactic almost worthy of a Slytherin."

"High praise coming from you," Lupin laughed, then kissed Snape lightly on the mouth. "By the way, thanks for today. I really had a good time."

"Damn it, Lupin, not in public!"

Pansy smirked as she watched the by now familiar sight of Snape growling at an unperturbed Lupin who was smiling back at him affectionately. "I told you they were on a date!" she said to her friends smugly.

 

Part 54