Aftermaths, Part 56

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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The students were having lunch in the Great Hall, speaking in hushed and subdued tones, when a great horned owl flew into the room. It dropped one letter in front of Harry on the Gryffindor table, then three letters at the staff table, then departed, looking rather harried. Harry nervously removed the black ribbon from the envelope and broke the seal, and Hermione and Ron leaned over his shoulders as he read the letter.

"It says here that Snape's dad's funeral is on Sunday," Harry said. "But surely Snape won't want me there; he hates me."

"Oh, he doesn't really hate you, Harry," Hermione said impatiently.

"Well, he doesn't exactly like me, either."

"And besides," Hermione continued, "this is signed by Selima Snape, not the Professor."

"And why would Snape's mother want me to come?"

Listening to this from the Slytherin table, Draco leaned over and called out, "Because you're the savior of the wizarding world, you dolt! Lady Selima will be inviting all the most important people in the wizarding world to Lord Severin's funeral, and that includes you, as much as it galls me to admit it. I'm sure Weasley's family will be getting an invitation as well, since his dad is Minister now."

"I notice you didn't get one, Malfoy," Dean smirked.

Draco flushed and snapped, "Of course the invitation would be sent to my mother at Malfoy Manor--clearly Potter isn't the only one who needs a lesson in etiquette!" But the Gryffindor boy's words stung because he wasn't at all sure there would be an invitation for the Malfoys, considering that their family had been disgraced, and Lucius Malfoy and Severin Snape had not been friends even in the best of times.

"Knock it off, Dean," Harry said irritably, and his friend subsided, a sulky look on his face. He wasn't at all sure that he wanted to attend this funeral; he had already seen enough death to last him a lifetime, and besides, he had never even met Snape's father. "I don't see how I can go," he said hopefully. "I mean, we're not allowed to leave the school without special permission."

But Dumbledore was tapping his goblet with his fork to get everyone's attention, then he rose to his feet and began to speak. "I am sure most of you have heard by now that Professor Snape's father passed away this morning," he announced. "Potions classes will be canceled for today--" There were a few grins and softly muttered expressions of appreciation, which quickly vanished in the face of disapproving looks from most of their classmates, and a sharp look of censure from the Headmaster. "Professor Snape requests that you study your Potions texts in the meantime, and prepare for a quiz upon his return." A few muffled groans, which also quickly died down. "I am sure that all of you will join me in offering our sympathy and support to Professor Snape and his family." Low murmurs from the students, mostly sympathetic, but a few uneasy and a few hostile. "Services for Lord Snape will be held on Sunday," Dumbledore continued. "I am sure that some of your families will be attending, and your parents will no doubt be contacting me shortly. Permission is granted for students to attend the funeral if they wish. Please contact your Head of House to make arrangements; Slytherins, please see myself or Professor Blackmore. For those who are not attending the funeral but wish to express their condolences, a sympathy card will be left in the Entrance Hall for the students to sign."

Dumbledore took his seat, and lunch resumed. "Do I have to go?" Harry asked plaintively.

"Of course you do," Hermione told him sternly. "Even if you and Professor Snape don't always get along, he still did his best to protect you from Voldemort. You have to go and show your support. And Professor Lupin could probably use your support as well; Dylan said that Lady Selima isn't too fond of him, and most of those snooty purebloods coming to the funeral will probably be looking down their noses at him."

"Then you guys will come with me, right?" Harry pleaded. "If I'm gonna do this, I'll need some support myself!"

"I suppose Mum will make me and Ginny go," Ron said reluctantly. "Though I don't know what for; I never even met Snape's father!"

"It doesn't matter whether we knew him or not. We're going for Professor Snape's and Professor Lupin's sakes," Ginny told him.

"I don't think I can go," Hermione said unhappily.

"Why not?" Harry asked. "You heard Dumbledore, he said it's okay. Besides, you're the one who's so concerned about Snape!"

"I want to go," Hermione protested, "but I'm not invited."

"Do you need an invitation to attend a funeral?" Harry asked.

Draco heaved a dramatic sigh, but before he could say anything, Hermione answered, "If it's the funeral of the head of one of the oldest pureblood families in the wizarding world, yes. It's in The Book of--"

"Wizard Etiquette, I know," Harry finished. "Will they turn you away if you show up uninvited?"

"Party crashing a funeral?" Ron asked, smiling a little. "Now that's weird!"

"They won't throw you out," Draco informed them. "It would cause too much of a commotion. But it's considered to be in bad taste to show up uninvited, and people will look at you like this--" Draco gave them his best arrogant, disdainful sneer. "--and whisper insults behind your back, like, 'Of course one can't expect a Mudblood to have any manners!'" Ron glared at him, and Draco said defensively, "Hey, I'm just explaining what will happen!"

"People like that will find an excuse to look down on those of us with Muggle blood no matter what we do," Harry said with a wry smile. "So who cares what they think? Please come, Hermione. I don't want to do this alone, and besides, you're the one who likes Snape best out of all of us."

"I really want to," Hermione said, looking torn. "I don't care what anyone says about me, but I don't want to upset the Professor by causing a scene at his father's funeral."

"Why don't you send a letter to Dylan?" Ginny suggested. "He's close to Snape, so he'll know whether the Professor would mind or not."

"Of course!" Hermione said, looking relieved. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You can borrow Hedwig," Harry offered.

"Thanks, Harry."

"No problem," Harry replied; he was eager to have some moral support at this funeral.
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Snape and the boys returned after a few hours; they had to wait while a few minor alterations were made to the robes, and he took Theodore and Dylan out to lunch to postpone having to return to the Manor, but finally he couldn't put it off any longer. Besides, he felt guilty about leaving Lupin alone with his mother for so long. So they returned with the robes, and a box of pastries for Lupin and Selima.

If Lupin had suffered in their absence, he didn't show any sign of it; they found him sitting in the drawing room feeding treats to Socrates as he petted the bird and crooned, "What a good boy you are."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Selima snapped. "He's an owl, not a lapdog! Don't spoil the bird."

"Everyone deserves a little praise for a job well done," Lupin said serenely.

"Ahem," Snape said, figuring that he'd better interrupt before things got out of hand. "We're back. I have the robes for the boys and Lupin, and I brought you these." He handed Selima the box of pastries.

"It's just about time for tea, anyway," Selima said, looking a little mollified.

"I'll make some," Lupin volunteered, jumping to his feet. "Vorcher's pretty busy right now."

"And why don't you try on those robes and let me see if they're suitable?" Selima told the boys.

"Don't you trust me, Mother?" Snape asked dryly.

"So far I am not overly impressed by your sense of taste and judgment, Severus," Selima said, giving Lupin a pointed look.

But in the end, she did nod approvingly at the robes, which were simply but stylishly cut. Dylan was more than happy to show his off; he looked very dashing and handsome in the black velvet robes, but then again, he probably would have looked stunning even in robes made of burlap, a fact not lost on Lady Selima. "You cut quite a dashing figure, Dylan," she said with a small, sardonic smile. "You take after your father."

"Thank you," he said happily, although he was aware that it was not meant entirely as a compliment.

She also gave Theodore an approving nod; he looked respectable, even handsome in his robes as well, although he couldn't help but look a little plain in comparison to his foster brother, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Perhaps Professor Lupin should try on his robes as well," Selima suggested. "You'll have to take them back if they need to be altered."

"I've been buying Lupin robes for the last four years," Snape said tartly. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what size he wears."

Lupin smiled and winked at Snape. "Yes, actually, he does have quite a discerning eye for clothing, Lady Selima."

"Oh, shut up, Lupin," Snape muttered, flushing, as Lupin chuckled and Selima gave them both an exasperated look.

"And I assume that you have something suitable to wear, Severus?" Selima asked.

"Yes, Mother," Snape replied, trying for a patient tone. "I have a set of formal dress robes that I wore to the Yule Ball and Professor Blackmore's wedding."

"And Severus wears nothing but black," Lupin added cheerfully, "so that's not a problem. Oh, by the way, Dylan, Hedwig dropped this off while you were gone."

"Hedwig?" Dylan asked, looking confused. "Why would Potter be writing to me?" Then he opened the envelope and read the letter inside. "Oh, I see, it's from Hermione; she must have borrowed his owl."

"Miss Granger?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows. "What does she want?"

"To express her sympathies to you, sir," Dylan replied. "She would like to come to the funeral and express them in person, but...ah...does not wish to give any offense as it seems she has not received an invitation..."

Selima gave Snape a questioning look, and he told her, "Miss Granger is one of my students. A Muggle-born and a Gryffindor; quite an annoying know-it-all little wench, but I must admit she is a talented Potions student." Dylan grinned and Snape glared at him. "And you'll be scrubbing bedpans for a week if you tell her I said that, Mr. Rosier!"

"She's very fond of Severus," Lupin added.

"That's not quite the way I'd put it, Lupin," Snape said with a scowl. "Although she is more sensible than her friends Potter and Weasley."

"She's my friend as well," Dylan chimed in. Theodore snorted, and Dylan grinned sheepishly. "Well, my girlfriend, actually."

Selima nearly dropped her teacup. "You? Evan Rosier's son, dating a Mudblood girl?"

Dylan frowned. "The polite term is Muggle-born," he said coldly. "And yes, I am. I will always love my father, but I do not agree with all of his beliefs--which should be obvious, since I fought against the Death Eaters, not for them."

"Must I invite a Muggle-born girl?" Selima sighed. "It was bad enough having to invite the Potter boy!"

"She is a close friend of the savior of the wizarding world," Lupin told her solemnly, although there was a mischievous little glint in his blue eyes. "She was hailed as a heroine in the Daily Prophet, and it would probably be politic to include her. She's also a close friend of the Minister of Magic's youngest son."

"Invite her if you wish, then, Severus!" Selima said, sounding cross. "But you can write out the invitation yourself!"

Snape was about to say that it wasn't really necessary to invite Miss Granger, but then he saw the stubborn look in Lupin's eyes and silently groaned. "Very well," he said in a resigned voice.
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As the students gathered together in the Entrance Hall after classes to sign the sympathy card, the great horned owl returned and dropped a black-ribboned letter into Hermione's hand. She opened it, and her face lit up. "I'm invited to the funeral! By Professor Snape, personally!"

"It's not really something to get excited about," Ron said, shaking his head in a combination of bewilderment and resignation. He didn't think he would ever really understand Hermione's inexplicable fondness for things like homework and Snape, but he was used to it by now.

"Can we go, Blaise?" Allegra asked eagerly.

"We're not invited," her brother told her gently.

"Oh," she said, looking crestfallen.

"It will probably be very boring, anyway," Blaise tried to console her. "Just a lot of people making polite small talk that they don't really mean, while secretly looking down on everyone else."

"I like Professor Snape," Allegra said, still looking disappointed. "I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry about his father."

"Here, sign the card for Professor Snape; I'm sure he'll appreciate that," Blaise said soothingly. "You can tell him in person when he gets back."

"Don't feel bad, Allegra," Damien said, patting her on the head. "My family's not invited, either. Not that I particularly want to go to a funeral; seems rather depressing. But some of us are chipping in to send a flower arrangement--want to go in with us?"

"Sure!" Allegra said, her expression brightening. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of Knuts. "Um...this is all I have. Mummy and Daddy cut off my allowance for this month to punish me for hexing Kenneth and Jarrett. I still say they deserved it, though!"

"Allegra!" Blaise scolded as Damien laughed.

"Every little bit helps," Damien said kindly, accepting the bronze coins. "And it's the thought that counts, anyway. We'll get something nice and make sure to put your name on the card."

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Hermione exclaimed. "Can I contribute something, too? I don't have any money on me right now, but if you put me down for two Galleons, I'll give it to you at dinner."

"Two Galleons," Damien said with a grin. "Impressive; most people have been giving me Sickles."

A few other students began coming forward to contribute as well, including Seamus, who covertly glanced at Lavender while he did so. His effort paid off, as Lavender smiled and said, "I think that shows great maturity and compassion on your part, Seamus," then kissed him on the cheek; Seamus's face turned bright red. "Parvati and I will give our contribution to Pansy later," Lavender told Damien, and the two girls left the hall, giggling and casting coy glances behind them.

Seamus just stood there, grinning from ear to ear and staring off dreamily into space, until Harry finally took him by the arm and gently steered him out of the way of the students who were still waiting in line to sign the sympathy card.

"Buying funeral flowers to impress a girl?" Ron asked. "Doesn't that seem a little twisted to you?"

"Well, it's still a good deed," Hermione said, although a bit dubiously.

Harry glanced at Seamus to see if he was taking offense, but the other boy was still grinning, and was completely oblivious to everything around him.
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The undertaker arrived to discuss the funeral arrangements with Selima, and also to set a preservation spell upon Severin's body until he could be laid to rest on Sunday.

"They're just going to leave him upstairs in the bedroom until then?" Dylan whispered incredulously to Theodore as they waited downstairs in the drawing room.

Theodore shrugged and said practically, "Well, what else would they do with him?"

"A normal person might be taken back to the funeral parlor," Snape said, "but the Lord of an estate remains on the estate that he ruled. It would be disrespectful to remove him from it--at least, that is the pureblood way of thinking."

The undertaker did dress Severin in his finest dress robes and lay him out on the bed with his hands crossed over his chest, so that he looked dignified and almost peaceful. No one, not even Selima, cared to linger in or near the room, though--except for Vorcher. He probably would have spent all his time weeping at his Master's side if his duties hadn't kept him too busy.

Selima was also kept busy with the arrangements, and in fielding calls from friends and acquaintances wanting to express their condolences--although the sincerity of many of those condolences was doubtful at best. Selima was beginning to look a little frazzled, so Snape took some of those calls, but he quickly tired of being polite, and he shut off the communication mirror and draped a piece of black cloth over it.

"We're supposed to be in mourning," he said firmly when Selima would have protested. "This is not the time for idle chitchat. If any of your friends are ill-mannered enough to inquire about it later, tell them that we were too overcome with grief to talk to anyone."

Selima gave him a weary but sincere smile of amusement in response. "Well, I'm glad to see that you have not forgotten everything I taught you about etiquette and decorum, Severus."

Lupin was going to fix dinner since Vorcher was so busy, but the house-elf indignantly told him that he would never neglect to feed the family that he served. Lupin apologized, and gently told Vorcher to remember to eat something himself. "After all, you need to keep up your strength if you're to serve the Mistress and Master Severus properly."

From the guilty look on his face, Vorcher had probably been planning on skipping dinner for himself; in fact, Lupin suspected that he hadn't eaten all day. "Yes, Master Lupin," Vorcher said, sounding meek and chastised.

After dinner, Snape said, "Maybe it's time to get the boys back to school..."

"It's late, Severus," Selima said wearily. "They can sleep over. In fact, I had assumed you would all stay through the weekend, as the funeral is on Sunday."

Snape definitely did not want to stay, although he had suspected his mother would expect him to, and he was not sure how Theodore would handle sleeping in a pureblood mansion, considering his reaction to the Black house. "But--"

"We should stay and help Lady Selima with the funeral preparations," Lupin told him sternly. The accusing look in his eyes also silently conveyed the message, "And you can't leave your mother here all alone after your father has just died!"

Snape looked at Theodore, who didn't look too thrilled about the idea, either, but said, "It's all right, Prof--I mean, Father. I don't mind staying." Dylan nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then," Snape said reluctantly. "We didn't bring any extra clothes with us, though."

"I'll just pop into Hogwarts through the Floo and pick up a few things for ourselves and the boys," Lupin said, and he did. It took a little longer than he had planned, though, because when he entered the Slytherin dorm to get some spare clothing from Dylan's and Theo's rooms, he was surrounded by a mob of concerned Slytherin children.

"I told them that you were doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," Lupin said to Snape when he got back. "They were all very worried about you; it's quite touching, really."

Snape just snorted, although secretly he was touched. "You're infecting my Slytherins with your Gryffindor sentimentality, Lupin," he complained, and Lupin just smiled.

"Have rooms made up for the boys, Vorcher," Selima ordered, as the house-elf appeared to clear the dishes from the dinner table.

"One room," Snape hastily corrected, feeling that it would probably be best not to leave Theodore alone in a strange house that was likely to stir up unpleasant memories. "They can share."

Selima raised her eyebrows slightly, since there were more than enough rooms to go around, but all she said was, "One room, then."

"Put them near my room," Snape added.

"Put them in the Rose Room, then, Vorcher," Selima said, smiling slightly as she glanced at Dylan. "It seems appropriate, and it's in the same wing as your room, Severus."

Snape nodded, and Vorcher said, "Yes, Mistress." He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering towards Lupin.

"Professor Lupin will be sharing my room," Snape said coolly.

Vorcher frowned disapprovingly, but since Selima said nothing to contradict that statement, he merely bowed and said, "Yes, Master," and went off to get the rooms ready.

They lingered over dessert and wine while they waited (Dylan and Theo were permitted one glass each). Selima continued to discuss the funeral arrangements (the services to be held outside on the estate grounds, and the following reception inside the Manor in the ballroom), and to lecture Theodore on his duties as heir, which--he seemed relieved to find--mainly consisted of sitting with Snape and Selima to receive the condolences of the guests. "Professor Lupin and Dylan will have to sit with the guests, of course, as they are not family."

"Of course," Lupin said agreeably, and shot Snape a look that said not to argue. Snape nodded slightly and remained silent. If Lupin wasn't offended, then there was no reason to object, save that he would have preferred to have Lupin at his side, but that would cause no end of outrage and gossip among Selima's pureblood acquaintances. And Snape had to admit that his mother had been surprisingly reasonable regarding Lupin since they had struck their truce, so he supposed that he shouldn't antagonize her too much.

Vorcher returned and announced that the rooms were ready. The boys were attempting, with limited success, to repress yawns by this point, so Snape interrupted his mother's lecture, saying, "It's late, Mother. Can we continue this tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course," Selima immediately replied, which was probably a sign that she was exhausted herself. "We should all get some rest."

So they said goodnight, and Snape led them upstairs. "Back in the Snape family's more prolific days," he explained, "all the children were housed in this wing, but the last few generations have produced but a single heir each, so it's been mostly empty for quite some time." He opened the door to a room midway down the hall; the walls were covered in rose-patterned wallpaper, and there were two beds covered with bedspreads that were a deep, dusty rose color. "It's a bit...er...frilly, as it actually belonged to twin sisters born several generations ago," Snape said apologetically. "But it's the only room in this wing that has two beds, and my mother sometimes has an odd sense of humor..."

"It's fine, sir," Dylan said with a grin. "Actually, I kind of like it." He held up his right hand and tilted it so that the rose-shaped crystal in his ring caught the light and seemed to glow deep red for a moment. "See, I match the room!"

"It's fine," Theodore said, lifting his hand to his mouth to hide a yawn. "I'm so tired that I don't care whether the room is red, pink, or polka-dotted!"

Lupin chuckled, and Snape smiled and said, "All right, then. The bathroom is right next door, and Lupin and I will be right down the hall if you need anything."

"Yes, sir," the boys chorused.

Lupin and Snape went to their room and got ready for bed. "Are you going to be all right, Severus?" Lupin asked, looking concerned as Snape regarded his childhood room morosely.

"I believe so," he sighed, then smiled faintly. "When I was a child, I never dreamed that one day there would be a werewolf sleeping in that bed with me!"

Lupin laughed, and they climbed into bed together. Snape was disinclined to make love, partly because he was too tired, and partly because the thought of his mother residing under the same roof put a damper on any lustful urges he might have had. So they simply held each other, and having Lupin's arms wrapped around him was very comforting. Despite that, and despite the fact that he was tired, Snape found that he could not fall asleep, kept awake by old memories. After about an hour, he finally gave up, and carefully disentangled himself from a sleeping Lupin, got out of bed, and threw a robe on over his nightshirt. He quietly slipped out of the room and went down the hall to check on Theodore, suspecting that his son would be having trouble sleeping as well.

But when he looked in on the boys, they both seemed to be sleeping soundly, their breathing slow and even, and the expressions on their faces calm. He breathed a small sigh of relief and started to leave, then hesitated. Theodore seemed to have kicked his blanket off in his sleep sometime during the night, and Snape thought he saw the boy's body twitch slightly--an unconscious shiver? It was a little chilly tonight, Snape observed, and pulled the covers up over Theodore's shoulders. Theodore's dark hair was falling into his eyes; Snape unthinkingly reached out and gently brushed it back from his face, and was struck by a rush of tenderness that paralyzed him for a moment with its suddenness and strength. He hesitated for another moment, then shrugged, telling himself that the boys were asleep and there were no other witnesses present, and bent down and planted a kiss on his son's forehead. Then he went over to Dylan's bed, and tucked him in and kissed him as well. "Sleep well," Snape whispered, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

He turned around and bumped into a grinning Lupin, and Snape jumped and nearly let out a shriek that would have woken the entire house, only just managing to suppress it at the last moment by biting down hard on his lower lip.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Snape hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"A little jumpy, aren't we?" Lupin asked, still grinning. "I woke up to find you gone, and I figured you went to check on Dylan and Theo. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Lupin," Snape growled, "as you bloody well know, since you were spying on me. And will you wipe that smirk off your face?!"

"You're such a softie, Severus Snape," Lupin whispered, kissing him on the cheek. As Snape started to splutter, Lupin disarmed him by kissing him again, on the mouth this time, and saying, "I love you so much, Severus."

Lupin's voice was quiet, but filled with intense passion and sincerity, and Snape's expression softened slightly. "I love you, too, Remus," he said. "Even if you do annoy the hell out of me sometimes." They kissed again, and suddenly the presence of Snape's mother no longer seemed so intimidating to him. They hurried back to their room, being careful to set a silence spell on it first, and made love, slowly and tenderly, then they both fell into a deep, contented slumber.
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Snape had years of experience teaching and disciplining children, but had little experience raising them, or he might have been able to detect the signs of feigned sleep more easily. (Molly Weasley certainly would not have been fooled.) As soon as Snape left the Rose Room, two pairs of eyes--one green and one gray--slowly opened, and Theodore and Dylan grinned at each other. Their grins grew wider as they listened to the hushed and familiar sounds of their guardians arguing and making up, then they rolled over and went to sleep as Lupin's and Snape's footsteps faded away. They both slept soundly and peacefully, with no troubling dreams.

 

Part 57