Aftermaths, Part 59

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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An owl delivered a note to Selima's dorm room; all it said was, "Meet me by the lake," with no signature, but she recognized the writing and knew who it was from. Fortunately, her roommate was out studying at the library, so she didn't have to make any excuses about where she was going. Her heart racing with a mixture of fear and hope and anger, she hurried off to the lake, taking care not to be seen by anyone.

She found him by the lake, skipping stones across the water's surface. He looked as handsome as ever, but his normal charming grin had been replaced by an anxious frown. "What are you doing here, Prospero?" she asked sharply. "You're not supposed to be here without permission, and I doubt that you registered at the office as a guest."

"Come now, my dear," Prospero said with an attempt at his old grin, but it fell flat. "I am an alumni, after all. I stopped by to visit one of my old teachers so that I'd have an excuse to be on campus."

Selima crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "What do you want, Prospero? Be quick about it; I'll get in trouble if I'm caught sneaking off to meet a boy."

"Yes, Selima," Prospero said bitterly. "You must be very careful about guarding your reputation; I've heard that your parents are negotiating a marriage for you with Severin Snape. Damn it, Selima, did you think I wouldn't hear about it? Did you think I would just stay away when I did?"

"Do you think I have any choice in the matter?" Selima retorted. "This all your fault, anyway, Prospero! You've had two years since graduation to make something of yourself, to become someone my father would consider worthy, and what have you done? Nothing! You had a position at the Ministry--"

"As a low-level clerk!" Prospero interrupted.

"--which could have been a stepping stone to something higher," Selima continued, "but you managed to get yourself fired!"

"Because I wouldn't kiss Lucien Malfoy's lily-white arse!" Prospero snapped.

"For Merlin's sake, Prospero, grow up! That's how people get ahead in the wizarding world, by currying favor with the right people! If you really loved me, you would have done whatever it took to get ahead and win my father's favor, even if meant kissing Lucien Malfoy's lily-white arse, as you put it!"

"Selima, I'm sorry," Prospero said, his expression suddenly changing from angry to guilty. "I'm no good at all the lying and flattering and brownnosing, but just give me a chance--please, don't let them formalize the betrothal! If you can put them off for another few months--"

"And what?" Selima cried. "You'll inherit a fortune? Pray for a miracle? It's too late for that, Prospero! My father might have been willing to betroth me to a young rising star in the Ministry up until a few months ago, but now the Snape Lord is seeking my hand in marriage! You'd have to become Minister of Magic for him to turn such an offer down!"

"You're not seriously considering marrying him, Selima! He's twice your age!"

"He has an important position at the Ministry, and he belongs to one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the wizarding world!"

"And is wealth and position so important to you?" Prospero asked, looking hurt. "More important than us?"

"Don't be an idiot, Prospero!" Selima shouted, then gave him an anguished look. "I don't give a damn about Lord Snape's name or money; I'd marry if you if I could, but--"

Prospero clasped her hands in his. "Then do it! Let's run off and get married, and to hell with Lord Snape!"

Selima angrily jerked her hands away. "I don't want to marry him, Prospero, but I have a duty to my family! They would be disgraced if I did that, and they'd make a powerful enemy in Lord Snape!"

"What duty do you have to a family that would sell their daughter to the highest bidder?" Prospero shouted. "That would marry her off to a stranger twice her age just to make an advantageous alliance?" Selima slapped him hard across the face. He didn't even wince, just stood there with her handprint on his cheek and tears in his eyes. "You won't even inherit anything from them, Selima," he said softly. "You're the eldest child, but your younger brother will inherit the family business and title solely because he is male. If you marry Severin Snape, your family will regard you as a Snape, not a Bashir, and you will have sacrificed your happiness and your future for a family you will no longer be a part of."

"It's my duty," Selima said helplessly, unable to word it in a way that he would understand. "You're a pureblood, Prospero; you ought to understand that."

He shook his head sadly. "I will never understand pureblood politics."

"That much is clear," Selima said tartly. "Else your family fortune would not be in such a state of decline."

"That hurts, Selima."

"The truth hurts, Prospero."

"I love you, Selima," Prospero whispered.

Selima wanted nothing more than to run away with him. She wouldn't even mind living in a hovel, barely scraping together a living if she would be the only one affected--but she would not be; her entire clan would be affected by her actions. "I love you, Prospero," she said in a cold, empty voice. "But love is not enough. I have a duty to my family. You may be willing to shirk yours, but I will not shirk mine."

"You will not change your mind," Prospero said with a sad smile.

It was not quite a question, but Selima answered it anyway. "No."

Prospero turned and walked away without another word. Two weeks later, he let his parents arrange a betrothal to a girl of good family, if not much wealth. {So much for love,} Selima thought bitterly when she heard; how easily he had given up and replaced her with another. She told herself that it was just as well, that she did not want him scandalizing the wizarding world and disgracing her family name by showing up at her wedding to declare his love and attempt to sweep her away like a white knight from some silly fairy tale, but she found no comfort in it. She would not have run off with him, of course, but still, it hurt that he didn't even try.

After careful negotiations, her betrothal to Severin was finalized, and they were wed six months later. During that period of time, she saw her future husband only briefly, in a handful of chaperoned visits that were all quite formal and awkward. There was a suitably grand wedding and reception, attended by all the most important of the pureblood families, and if the bride's smile was more cool and polite than radiantly happy, no one commented upon it.

The servants helped her change out of her bridal finery into a silk nightgown, and left her in the Lord's bedroom, and for the first time, she was alone with her new husband.

Oddly enough, Severin looked a little awkward and ill at ease himself. "You are...ah...very young, Selima, and I'm not sure if...ah..." He coughed, his face turning red. "If your mother has properly...er...prepared you for what to expect on your wedding night..."

Selima felt her own face turn red, but she almost laughed. She had not expected Lord Severin to be so...quaint. Did he really think that any Slytherin, however well-bred, did not know the facts of life? She lifted her head and said coolly, "I am a virgin, of course--" No one would ever offer a Lord of Severin's rank used goods as a bride.

"Of course," Severin said, looking a little amused himself.

"But I assure you that the women of my family have..." She cast her eyes downward in a modest fashion. "...instructed me in my wifely duties." She lifted her gaze again. "I will do my best to please my Lord and bear him an heir." And she profoundly hoped that Lord Severin's tastes were not as debauched as some of the other pureblood men she had heard gossip of.

Severin gave her a cool but approving smile. "No girlish tears or hysterics...you are a sensible girl--no, woman, Selima. I see that I chose well for my bride." He held out his hand, and she took it, and he led her to the bed.

He was not gentle, precisely--for that implied a degree of tenderness that Lord Severin seemed to lack--but he was patient and took care not to cause her pain, or at least, as little pain as possible.

As it turned out, she need not have worried about Lord Severin being debauched. He came to her bed about once a week, but it seemed to be more for the sake of making an heir than for pleasure. He kept up his air of formal distance even in bed, and performed in an efficient, almost mechanical manner. Whenever they went out in public, everyone commented on how lucky he was to have such a beautiful young bride, and he would smile, looking pleased, but in the sort of way one would look pleased if someone had complimented him on a fine piece of art he had just purchased. As far as Selima could tell, he had no mistresses, or male lovers, for that matter, nor did he visit any houses of pleasure--not that she would have minded, so long as he was discreet. It seemed that what passion he possessed was channeled solely into his magical studies and career ambitions.

At first, performing such an intimate act with someone who was essentially a stranger was rather embarrassing, but Selima did her duty to her husband without complaint, and did her best to hide her embarrassment. And after awhile, she did not have to feign her composure; in a way, it helped that her husband was so distant. Sex became simply a necessary physical act to be performed. After the first time, it was never again painful, but nor did Severin arouse any great passion in her, and he never said he loved her, but neither did she want him to. She'd had love before with Prospero, and the result had been ultimately unsatisfying: a short time of sweet and heady infatuation ending in heartache and frustration. No, she told herself, she'd had her fill of love. She and Severin lived in harmony, if not passion, and that was much more satisfying. Or so she told herself.

That harmony was not always easy to achieve; Severin was a blunt man, not given to flattery and compliments, and he was more prone to give orders than requests. He was also extremely stubborn and would never admit he was wrong, even when he knew he was. Still, he had one thing in his favor, and that was the fact that he treated her with respect. He didn't want a simpering, helpless plaything, as he made clear on their wedding night; he wanted someone sensible. He expected her to defer to him in public, but in private, he did appreciate and make use of her talents. Not long after they married, she humbly inquired if she might go over the Snape financial accounts and the new business acquisitions that had been part of her dowry. Severin consented, and soon she took over the bookkeeping and oversaw all the Snape business dealings. Severin supervised her carefully at first, double-checking her records and calculations, but once he saw that she was reliable and knew what she was doing, he left all such matters in her hands from then on, and even deferred to her advice on business matters.

Meanwhile, months passed by, still with no sign of an heir. Severin did not complain, but Selima could tell that he was disappointed. Adding insult to injury was the fact that Prospero's wife seemed to conceive the moment after they were married, giving birth to a son almost exactly nine months later.

"Perhaps," Selima ventured hesitantly, "I could speak to a Healer about certain herbs or potions to help me conceive..."

Severin thought it over, then shook his head. "No, not yet. I want a strong and healthy heir, and well...there is no proof, but I am worried that producing a child by artificial means could result in some hidden flaw. We have not been married long, Selima, and these things take time. My own mother did not get pregnant until she had been married to my father for almost five years. I suppose we must be patient and let nature take its course."

Selima was somewhat reassured by his words, but she still worried that his patience might eventually run out; wives had been put aside in the past for failing to bear children. There was nothing she could do to rush conception, but she did work hard to make herself indispensable to her husband in other areas, such as her handling of the finances and her skill as a hostess. In the world of pureblood politics, a dinner party was not simply an occasion to enjoy good food and company, but a carefully planned event where alliances could be made or broken. Severin knew how to play politics well enough to have obtained a job at the Ministry, but he was too blunt and stubborn to be a master of it the way his friend Lucien Malfoy was. But Selima, who was raised in a merchant clan where one's livelihood depended on one's ability to flatter and negotiate, could orchestrate a party with as much skill and finesse as a master composer might a symphony. She knew exactly whom to invite, and whom not to invite, carefully keeping track of who was feuding with whom, and of who was in favor with the reigning elite and who was not. She always remembered the names of her guests' spouses and children and dogs, and always remembered to inquire politely about them. She knew how to charm and flatter the high-ranking Ministry officials without being obsequious, and more importantly, without offending their wives. She knew when to whisper a compliment or a veiled threat into the right ear at just the right moment; she knew when a bribe was needed to smooth the way, and how to handle it delicately enough so that it didn't seem like a bribe. She also maneuvered behind the scenes with the other pureblood wives, trading gossip and information and favors, and many an important contract or promotion was set into motion by a casual comment by a wife at the dinner table or in the bedroom, at a moment when she knew her husband would be most receptive.

There were many gala affairs at Snape Manor, and before long, an invitation to one of Selima's parties became highly coveted among the pureblood elite. Severin didn't particularly enjoy these parties, but he understood their necessity, and responded with his cool but approving smile when people complimented him on what a lovely and gracious hostess his wife was. Severin's stock rose rapidly thanks to Selima's social maneuvering, and he was well aware of it.

"Your wife is a real treasure, Severin," the Minister of Magic said one night as the latest party at Snape Manor came to a close. "You are a lucky man."

"Indeed I am, Minister."

The Minister took Selima's hand and kissed her fingertips, and she modestly lowered her lashes and averted her gaze. "You are too kind, Minister."

"No, I am being perfectly honest, Lady Selima. Thank you for a wonderful dinner."

"Thank you for coming, Minister."

"Let me see you out, Minister," Severin said.

Selima was supervising the cleanup in the dining room when Severin returned with a wide grin on his face, his eyes shining triumphantly. "I've been promoted to Department Head! The Minister just told me on the way out!"

"Oh, Severin, that's wonderful!"

"And it's all thanks to you!" Severin laughed. "The way you've flattered the Minister and his cronies, and stroked their egos, all the dinners spent gradually gaining their trust and favor over the months. He flat out told me that I had my lovely wife to thank for my promotion!"

Some men might have resented that remark, but Severin did not, and it was one of his few redeeming qualities. He might not be charming, he might be brusque and even cold at times, but he acknowledged her talents, and gave respect where it was due.

"This is only the beginning, Selima," Severin said, placing his hands on her shoulders, his eyes still shining. "A stepping stone to an even higher position. Who knows, maybe one day you'll even be the wife of the Minister of Magic!"

"Lord Minister," she laughed.

"Lady Minister," he said with a grin. "I knew I chose well when I married you!" Then, to her utter shock and amazement, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

It was not one of their scheduled nights to attempt making an heir (as Selima had come to think of it), but Severin told her to leave the cleanup to Vorcher, and they took a bottle of champagne upstairs to celebrate. Their lovemaking was unusually ardent that night (for the first and last time), as for once, Severin's passion for ambition carried over into the bedroom. And ironically enough, it was then, when they weren't even trying, that they conceived an heir a few months into their second year of marriage.

Selima was relieved to have finally become pregnant, and even more relieved when the Healer told her that the child would be a boy. "Well done," Severin told her, in the same approving but slightly impersonal tone he used when praising one of her successful parties. He was busy with his new job and wasn't home much, but he hired extra servants to look after her and the house, and, gently prodded by Vanessa Malfoy, bought her a set of black pearl jewelry as a gift.

"It looks lovely, dear," Vanessa said, admiring Selima's new jewelry over tea one afternoon. "It really suits your coloring, and matches your hair and eyes."

"I know that I have you to thank," Selima said with an ironic smile. "Severin would never have been able to pick these out on his own. He usually just gives me some money and tells me to buy something nice for myself."

Vanessa laughed. "Men are hopeless at these things, dear! Some more than others. But Severin is a good husband and a good provider."

"Yes, he is," Selima said, and it was true, but she wondered why she didn't feel happier about it. Maybe it was because her closest friend Anya Gravenor had made a love-match with Cynric Diggory, and she had to watch the two of them being blissfully happy together. Still, she couldn't hate Anya, who was the one person she could truly trust and confide in. Anya was suprisingly sweet and kind for a Slytherin, and had no interest in playing politics, and had been lucky enough to fall in love with a man of wealth and good breeding who loved her too.

"Are you happy, Selima?" Anya asked anxiously one day.

"I am content," Selima replied.

"But you and Prospero--"

Selima shook her head. "No. That is over and done with. He is married now, and so am I. It was nothing more than youthful infatuation. He is handsome and charming, but such things fade over time. What would be left for us when our youthful beauty faded and our passion for each other burned out? I would have come to resent him for ruining my reputation and that of my family's, and he would have come to hate me for resenting him."

"Passion doesn't always fade," Anya said softly.

"We cannot all be as lucky as you and Cynric," Selima snapped, then gently laid her hand over Anya's when her friend looked hurt. "I thank you for your concern, Anya, but there is no point in dwelling on the past. Severin is a good man; he respects me, and he treats me as if I have a brain in my head, which is more than most pureblood wives can say."

Anya giggled. "Like Elaine?"

Selima laughed. "Well, in her case, her husband's attitude might be justified, because she is completely witless!"

After months of morning sickness and feeling bloated and ungainly as a whale, Selima finally gave birth to her son after several hours of painful labor. The midwife laid the squalling, red-faced baby in her arms, but she felt no motherly tenderness, only relief that the labor was finally over; perhaps it was simply the pain and exhaustion.

But even after she recovered, she didn't seem to feel the same way Anya did; her friend gave birth to a son of her own a few months after Severus was born, and she positively doted on little Cyril. Selima dutifully nursed her baby and picked him up when he cried, but she didn't feel the urge to hold and cuddle him for the sheer pleasure of it, the way Anya did her son. Maybe it was because he looked so much like his father, with that beak of a nose, and reminded her of the bargain she had made, trading a chance for a life like Anya's for a cool, proper, loveless marriage so that her family might make an alliance and give a bigger inheritance to her brother, an inheritance she would see nothing of, though she was just as skilled a merchant as any of the men in her family.

"It is to my advantage, too," she whispered to herself one day in the nursery. "I am the wife of a great Lord, and the mother of the Snape heir. My blood will flow through this child and his descendants to come. One day my husband might become Minister, or perhaps my son, and that is surely higher a position than being head of the Bashir clan."

If she could not be a loving mother, she resolved to be a dutiful one, and did her best to raise and educate her son, and prepare him for his role as the future Snape Lord. Severin came to her bed only rarely after Severus was born, as if it were no longer necessary now that he had his heir, and quite frankly, that was fine with Selima. He also took little interest in his son until Severus was old enough to hold an intelligent conversation, and left his early upbringing almost entirely to Selima.

Severus was a clever and for the most part obedient, if somewhat sullen, child. He learned quickly, and rarely made the same mistake twice--perhaps due to the fact that Severin punished his son's mistakes with a Cruciatus or other pain-giving curse. That was, perhaps, a harsher punishment than Selima would have chosen, but Severin was the Lord of the household and she deferred to his judgment. Maybe she would have fought him on it if she had felt the same affection for her son that Anya felt for Cyril, instead of merely a vague sense of guilt and duty.

Still, it did not seem to hurt him overmuch; Severus was quiet and respectful, and did as he was told. He was an extremely adept mage who quickly learned what his parents taught him, and progressed even further studying on his own; he was able to cast spells far beyond the level of most children his age. Selima was a little disappointed to discover that her son would never possess her skill at socializing, but she was able to teach him enough to get by in pureblood society. When he grew older, she would help smooth the way for him, as she had for his father, and someday she would find him a wife who would do the same.

He did inherit his father's temper and stubbornness, however, which manifested itself occasionally but at inopportune times, such as when he hexed a neighbor's child the year before he was due to enter Hogwarts. The child's parents raised a huge fuss, which led to a visit from the Headmaster himself. Oddly enough, Dumbledore took a liking to Severus, and stopped by often to see him. Selima and Severin were relieved that Severus would not be barred from Hogwarts, but were worried as well as flattered by the Headmaster's interest in their son; he was an extremely influential wizard, but he was also what Severin called a "bleeding heart liberal," and they didn't want their son being influenced by Dumbledore's Gryffindor ideals.

Their fears would later prove to be justified, but at first, they saw nothing to worry about. Severus made friends with the proper children in Slytherin, including Lucien and Vanessa's son, Lucius, and continued to do well in his studies. Sometimes he got into trouble for hexing the Gryffindor boys, but it seemed to be nothing more than the usual boyish mischief, and although Severin was outwardly annoyed, inwardly he was a little pleased, as it seemed proof that Severus had not been corrupted by Dumbledore's idealism.

In the meantime, Selima saw less of her friend Anya, as Cyril had developed some sort of serious illness that kept him homebound and bedridden most of the time. Then Cynric and Cyril were killed in an accident when their carriage crashed in a thunderstorm, and Anya was overwhelmed by grief and seemed to lose her will to live. When Selima saw her at the funeral, her face was ghostly white, and her eyes empty and haunted. She was taken back to her parents' estate to rest and recover, and Selima never saw her again. Anya never came to London or Snape Manor to visit, and sent only a few sporadic letters; within three years she was dead, joining her husband and son in the grave.

Selima and Severin gradually began to grow worried about their son's friendship with Lucius Malfoy and his cronies. Lucien Malfoy was a supporter of Lord Voldemort at first, but Severin refused to have anything to do with Voldemort or the Death Eaters, even at the urging of his friend and ally. While Severin would have liked to have seen the purebloods restored to their former glory, the outcome of the war was by no means certain, and he was not fool enough to risk imprisonment or execution for treason if things did not turn out as planned. Besides, although Voldemort said that "we purebloods" would rule, Severin suspected that there would be only one ruler, and he was not eager to trade the bureaucracy of the Ministry, inept as it was, for the tyranny of a dictator. However, mindful of the possibility that Voldemort might win in the end, neither did Severin openly support Dumbledore.

But Severus, in a rare act of rebellion, joined the Death Eaters against Severin's advice, and Selima's well-ordered life began to fall apart. Severus moved out of Snape Manor after graduation, and was drawn ever deeper into Lucius Malfoy's plots. Meanwhile, Lucien began to have second thoughts as the war escalated and grew more bloody, and privately conceded that Severin might have been right, after all. Not long after that, a mysterious plague swept through Wiltshire, where the Malfoys lived, killing many people, including Lucien and Vanessa. Lucius and his new wife were conveniently away from home at the time on their honeymoon.

Finally, Voldemort fell, and Severin disowned his son, partly to protect the Snape name, and partly out of anger that Severus had defied him. Selima urged him to wait; Severus had not been officially charged as a Death Eater, and perhaps there was still some way that they might be able to salvage the situation. Lucius Malfoy certainly smooth-talked and bribed his way out of trouble easily enough. But although he would listen to her advice on most things, in this Severin refused to be swayed, and Severus remained disinherited.

But to everyone's surprise, Severus was never charged, and Dumbledore hired him to teach at Hogwarts, in what seemed to be a demonstration of trust and faith, even giving him a position of responsibility as both Potions Master and Head of Slytherin. Severin began to regret his hasty decision, but was too proud to revoke it. Selima quietly let word spread that Severin would accept his son back into the family if Severus would come home and ask his forgiveness, but the son proved as stubborn as the father, both of them refusing to bend.

Severin and Selima tried halfheartedly to conceive a new heir, but nothing came of those efforts, and they soon gave it up. In Severin's mind, there seemed to be no point, as he had lost his influence and Ministry position, thanks to Lucius Malfoy's spite, and he refused to swallow his pride and curry favor with "that treacherous, backstabbing piece of slime". He retreated to Snape Manor, dismissing all the human servants, keeping only Vorcher, and settled into a life of seclusion, burying himself in his magical studies. It hurt to see the sly, gloating glances, and hear the whispers behind her back, but Selima refused to withdraw from pureblood society as her husband had. She kept up her "friendships" and her contacts, continued to have tea and socialize, holding her head high and pretending not to hear the gossip about how far the Snapes had fallen. She was laying out the foundation for a return to power, not wanting to completely burn her bridges behind her. They still had an heir, after all, even though he was disowned, and there was always a chance that he might return home...

 

Part 60