Aftermaths, Part 76

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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Lukas felt that his Physical Defense classes were progressing well--maybe a little too well. Some of the Gryffindor and Slytherin students seemed to take a little too much pleasure in beating on one another, but perhaps it was better for them to work out their frustration in the classroom than outside of it. At least there had been no further "pranks" played on either side since the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. However, for today's exercise, he thought it would be best not to tempt fate, and paired up the students within their own Houses.

"Today," he announced, "we will try something new. You've done well in your physical combat exercises, but since you are wizards, it is far more likely that you will face magical rather than physical attacks."

"So what's the point of this class?" Aric grumbled under his breath.

"The point, Mr. Dietrich," Lukas said sternly, "is that you need to be able to fight even if you are disarmed of your wand. Your opponent will think you helpless, but you will not be, and that might give you enough of an advantage to gain the upper hand. So I will pair you off, and you will take turns attacking one another--one with magic, and one without. Stunning and blocking spells only, please--nothing dangerous, or you will spend what's left of the term in detention."

Lukas noticed that Daphne Greengrass seemed especially skittish and jumpy today; more so than usual, and he wondered what was wrong. He paired her off with Blaise, who was unusually gentle and patient for a Slytherin. She was able to dodge his spell, although she failed to disarm him of his wand, and when they switched places, he neatly sidestepped her spell, and knocked her wand out of her hand, but gently. Lukas suspected the boy was holding back a little, which normally he would not have approved of, but Miss Greengrass seemed to require a more delicate touch than the other students, so he let it slide. He could step things up after she acquired a little more self-confidence. In the meantime, Blaise seemed to be handling her well; he picked up the dropped wand and offered it to her with a friendly smile, and she tentatively smiled back.

There was an uneven number of Slytherins, so he sparred with Aric for a couple of rounds, but it wasn't really a fair contest, with Lukas's werewolf reflexes, so he began rotating the Slytherins, having them switch off partners. They seemed to be having fun; Pansy shouted triumphantly when she was able to stun Goyle, who just grinned good-naturedly when he was released from the spell. "Hah!" Draco said with satisfaction when he was able to lunge forward and knock Theodore's wand out of his hand before he could get his spell off.

Theodore rubbed his hand and gave him an only slightly grudging nod of respect. "Not bad, Malfoy," he said with a smile, "but you'll scandalize your bloodline, engaging in physical combat."

Draco just grinned and handed Theodore's wand back to him. "The Snapes are creating quite a scandal, themselves!" he said, and both boys laughed. Daphne seemed marginally less tense, although her offensive abilities were still far behind those of her classmates. She was actually quick and nimble on her feet, and good at dodging, but no good at attacking, her blows light and ineffective. As much as their ingrained pureblood arrogance annoyed him at times, Lukas felt a certain affinity towards the Slytherins, because they tended to be predators by nature, most often with the sly, calculating temperament of the serpent that was their House crest. Aric actually had a bit of wolfish nature in him, which Lukas found ironically amusing. But Daphne made him think not so much of a predator, but a spooked, frightened rabbit, which puzzled him. For one thing, he wondered how a rabbit had ended up in Slytherin, when she would have been more at home in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. And for another, he saw no reason for her fear. Her housemates were not particularly friendly to her, but neither were they hostile; for the most part, they simply ignored her, which seemed to be what she wanted.

Still, she seemed to have settled down a little, so he let the Slytherins continue rotating partners, and eventually she came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. Lukas had turned his back on the Slytherins for a moment to dispell the Impediment Curse that Dean had hit Neville with, so he did not see how pale Daphne's face went when Draco raised his wand. He did, however, hear her scream, and turned around in time to see black ropes shooting out of Draco's wand and binding themselves around Daphne as she fell to the floor, screaming and struggling hysterically.

"Didn't I say stunning or blocking spells only, Malfoy?" Lukas asked irritably.

"It's just a binding spell," Draco protested. "It's purely defensive. Geez, Greengrass, there's no need to get so worked up about it! Finite Incantatum!" The ropes vanished, and Draco leaned down to give her a hand up.

Still blind with fear, Daphne didn't see that Draco was trying to help her, and when his hand brushed against her arm, she reacted instinctively and lashed out, striking him square in the nose with her palm. Draco let out a howl of pain and fell back on his rump, clapping his hands over his wounded nose.

"Hmm," Lukas murmured to himself, raising his eyebrows. "Pretty good reflexes. Maybe she just needs a sufficient spur of fear in order to attack effectively."

"Ow!" Draco wailed, as thin streams of blood trickled between his fingers. "I thing you broge my node!"

"What?" Goyle asked, scratching his head.

"'I think you broke my nose,'" Theodore helpfully translated.

Daphne blinked, seeming to come to her senses, and her eyes focused on the wounded Slytherin boy, then went wide with horror. "I--I'm s-sorry!" she stammered, then burst into tears and ran out of the room.

"What just happened here?" Lukas demanded of his class. The Gryffindors looked startled, but the Slytherins looked positively shocked, their jaws hanging open in disbelief.

"G-Greengrass hit M-Malfoy," Pansy stuttered.

"Yes, I can see that," Lukas replied sarcastically. "But her reaction seems a bit excessive. Accidents do happen from time to time in this class, and Draco's not the first person to suffer a bloody nose."

Which set Draco off again. "My node!" he wailed.

"It's not fatal," Lukas told him unsympathetically. "Mr. Snape, take him to the hospital wing."

"Yes, sir," Theodore said, looking a little amused, and led Draco out of the classroom.

"I can't believe she did that," Pansy said, still looking stunned.

"She's such a mouse," Millicent said. "Who would have thought she had it in her?"

Since he didn't seem to be getting any useful responses out of them, Lukas dismissed the class early and went to the dungeon to see if the Slytherin Head of House could shed some light on the matter.
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"Well, at least we got out of class early," Pansy said as they filed out of the room.

"Guess we'd better go check on Draco," Crabbe said to Goyle, who nodded.

"Wait a minute!" Hermione cried. "Shouldn't someone make sure Daphne is all right?"

The Slytherins all stared blankly at her. "It was Draco got hit in the nose, not Greengrass," Goyle pointed out in a puzzled voice.

"I mean that she seemed very upset," Hermione said impatiently. "She ran out of the room in tears! You're her friends and housemates--shouldn't you be concerned about her?"

The Slytherins stared at each other. "She's a housemate, but she's not really our friend," Millicent said with a shrug. "We don't hang out together outside of class or anything."

"She's not really in the same social circle," Pansy added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked in a disgusted voice, and the girls blushed, looking a little ashamed themselves.

"Daphne kind of keeps to herself," Blaise said in a placating tone, although he looked a little guilty as well. "She's probably just worried that Draco will be mad at her. I'll go talk to him, and make sure he doesn't take it out on her. It was an accident, after all, and I'm sure he'll calm down once Madam Pomfrey heals him."

"Malfoy's no threat now, anyway," Aric said contemptuously. "He can't sic his daddy on anyone anymore."

"Oh, stuff it, Dietrich!" Crabbe told him.

"Never mind him," Blaise said. "Let's go check on Draco."

Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise went off in the direction of the hospital wing, while Aric, Pansy, and Millicent headed to the Slytherin dorm.

"You're such a git, Dietrich," Millicent said.

"Yeah, like you haven't thought Malfoy was full of himself at times?" Aric retorted.

"Well, the Slytherins don't seem too concerned about Daphne," Hermione said disapprovingly. "So you'd better go check on her, Ron."

"Me?" Ron protested. "Why me?"

"You know her better than the rest of us," Hermione pointed out logically. "She's been tutoring you afterschool."

"We only talk about plants," Ron argued. "It's not like we're friends or anything!"

"Besides, weren't you supposed to have a tutoring session after class today, anyway?" Hermione reminded him.

"Yeah, but I doubt she'll show up for it," Ron said dubiously.

"Well, go check," Hermione ordered. "Besides, she spends most of her free time in the greenhouses, anyway."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"I pay attention to what's going on around me," Hermione replied, in a slightly patronizing tone.

"Then why don't you go comfort her, if you know so much?" Ron grumbled.

"Oh, just go, Ron!" Hermione ordered impatiently.

"It's probably just what Blaise said," Harry told his friend. "You know how all the Slytherins used to be scared of Malfoy. Maybe it's just habit, you know, like the way I jump when Snape gives me the evil eye, even though I know he's not really a Death Eater now. Just go tell her that Zabini's going to calm Malfoy down."

"Okay," Ron sighed. "Will you two come with me?"

"She's kind of shy," Hermione said. "I think she might feel intimidated if all three of us are there. She's used to seeing you, Ron; I think it's best if you go alone." She gave him another impatient look when he hesitated. "It's not like there's anything to be scared of!"

"I'm not scared of her!" Ron said indignantly.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Hermione demanded. Harry just shrugged and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Fine," Ron sighed, and headed to the greenhouse.
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Snape's final class of the day was exiting the room when Lukas reached the dungeon. "Severus?" he said. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh no," Snape sighed wearily. "What have my Slytherins done now?"

"It's Miss Greengrass," Lukas said.

Snape looked puzzled. "Miss Greengrass has never caused any trouble before; she's the meekest of my Slytherins."

Lukas explained what had happened in his class. "The whole thing doesn't make any sense; why on earth is she so jumpy? I know that people used to fear the Malfoys, but the other Slytherins don't seem to feel intimidated by Draco anymore. And how did such a meek girl ever wind up in Slytherin, anyway?" Lukas frowned. "She's always skittish, but she seemed more jumpy than usual today..."

Snape frowned in thought for a few moments, then comprehension filled his black eyes. "Ah," he said softly. "I think I know what the problem is. It's a very long story, Bleddri, that starts before the first war and the rise of the Death Eaters..."
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Ron found Daphne in the greenhouse where they usually met for their tutoring sessions, kneeling on the ground weeping between rows of fragrant flowers. "Daphne?" he said softly, crouching down beside her.

She looked up at him and swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm s-sorry Ron," she sniffled. "I don't think I can tutor you today."

"It's okay," Ron replied. "My Mimbulus plant is doing a lot better, and I think I've got all those 'wort' herbs down pat. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm okay," Daphne said, still weeping.

"You don't look okay," Ron said skeptically, then grinned. "Punching Malfoy in the nose is not a big deal--I've wanted to do it lots of times myself!" Daphne started crying harder, and Ron said in alarm, "It was just a joke! Listen, if you're scared of Malfoy, don't be. Everyone knows what happened was an accident, and Zabini said he'd talk to Malfoy, make sure he doesn't give you a hard time about it. Besides, I know you lot used to be scared of Malfoy, but he can't really do anything to you now that is father is dead. If Malfoy gets out of line, let me know, and I'll take care of him!" Then Ron abruptly fell silent, wondering if he had really just offered to defend a Slytherin girl. Well, he supposed that Daphne was okay for a Slytherin...she didn't seem to be stuck-up like most of them were.

Daphne seemed just as surprised by Ron's statement as he was, startled enough to actually stop crying, which was a relief, although she didn't seem to be especially reassured by his words. Attempting to lighten the mood, Ron laughed--although it came out sounding a bit nervous--and said, "Or better yet, we'll tell Lupin, and he'll have Snape make Malfoy behave himself! According to Hermione, Lupin has Snape wrapped around his little finger--but don't tell Snape I said that, okay?"

That actually won a small smile from Daphne. "Okay," she said in a soft voice, then began wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve. Ron fished around in his pockets for a handkerchief, but came up with only a couple of Knuts, a piece of toffee that was somewhat squashed, a crumpled homework assignment that had come back with a less-than-satisfactory grade, and a stray chess piece he had found in the common room--but no handkerchief. His mum had told her children that they should always carry a clean handkerchief, and for once he wished he'd followed her advice.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "I'd offer you a handkerchief if I had one. Guess you wouldn't want to blow your nose on my homework--although with the grade I got, that's all it's good for. Um...you could use my tie, I guess; it's okay, I've got extras."

Daphne giggled. "No, that's okay, Ron, but thank you very much." She gave her face one last swipe with her sleeve. "I'm okay now, really."

"So...what happened back there?" Ron asked hesitantly. "Why are you so scared of Malfoy?" She hesitated, and Ron's voice sharpened as he asked, "Has he done something to you?"

But Daphne shook her head and replied, "No, Draco's never done anything to me. He barely notices me, really. I'm...beneath his notice."

"So what's the problem?" Ron asked, feeling confused.

Daphne bit her lip and hesitated for a long time. At first he thought that she wasn't going to answer him, but she finally replied, "I've always been afraid of Draco and the other students who come from Death Eater families, because the Death Eaters killed my older brother exactly seventeen years ago today."

"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "But...you're a Slytherin! Was your brother a Slytherin, too?"

"Yes, but not all Slytherins supported the Death Eaters," Daphne replied, then sighed. "It's a very long story; do you really want to hear it?"

"Yes," Ron said. His curiosity was piqued; he knew that not all Slytherins were Death Eaters, but most of them had seemed to support, or at least failed to oppose Voldemort. And he was curious to know why Daphne had wanted to enter Slytherin if she was so afraid of the Death Eaters. Well, perhaps the Sorting Hat had put her in Slytherin against her will, but both Harry and Hermione said that they had asked the Hat to put them in Gryffindor, although the Hermione could also have gone into Ravenclaw, and the Hat had wanted to put Harry in Slytherin. From what Allegra had said about her own Sorting, it seemed that students often argued with the Hat about what House they should go into, and the Hat usually acceded to their wishes.

"The trouble all started during my grandmother's time," Daphne said. "When she was a young woman, just a year or two older than me, she became pregnant and refused to name the father, not even when her parents threatened to disown her. It caused quite a scandal, and people began spreading rumors that her mysterious lover might be a Muggle-born or a half-blood; Grandmother never confirmed or denied those rumors. In the end, my great-grandparents didn't disown her, because they had no other heirs, but from that day forward, our blood purity was in question, and our standing in society started to decline. My father suffered a lot of taunts and insults from his housemates in Slytherin when he went to Hogwarts. By the time my brother went to Hogwarts, things had died down a little, although people occasionally sneered at him behind his back. But he was handsome and charming--according to my parents, anyway; I never really knew him, of course--and he was fairly popular at school.

"By the time he graduated, the Death Eaters were openly at war with the wizarding world. My family wasn't important enough to be recruited by the Death Eaters; partly because we're not wealthy or powerful like the Malfoys, but probably also because of the rumors of our tainted blood. My family tried to stay out of the war; they didn't want to see people murdered, but they were afraid of what the Death Eaters might do if they supported Dumbledore--that would have been an instant death sentence. The Death Eaters hated the Muggle-born, but they hated purebloods who were 'traitors' even more. Most of the lesser Slytherin families were neutral during the war, you know--like the Pierces and the Zabinis. They were just as scared of the Death Eaters as anyone else."

"I didn't know that," Ron said, feeling a little surprised.

"Well, it's true," Daphne said. "But most of the Death Eaters were Slytherins, so people assumed that all Slytherins were Death Eaters, or at least Death Eater supporters."

"So...what happened to your brother?" Ron asked hesitantly.

"It was near the end of the war, when both sides were getting desperate," Daphne said. "Some of the Death Eaters came to my brother and asked him to join them. Well, maybe 'ask' is the wrong word--they told him to prove that his blood was pure by joining them in ridding the world of Mudbloods and half-breeds. He refused, so they killed him." Daphne's eyes filled with tears.

"So that's why you were so upset today?" Ron asked softly. "Because it's the anniversary of his death?"

"I never really knew him," Daphne said wistfully. "I mean, I was just a baby, so I don't remember him. But I almost feel like I do, because my parents told me so much about him, and I have lots of pictures of him." She tugged at a chain around her neck, and fished out a gold locket that had been tucked out of sight beneath her shirt and robes. She opened the locket, revealing a photo of a handsome young man with red hair who was holding a red-haired baby in his arms. "That's me and my brother, Gabriel," Daphne said. "He was supposed to be the heir to the Greengrass family, not me."

"I'm sorry," Ron said awkwardly.

Daphne closed the locket and slipped it beneath her shirt again. "My family was terrified that the Death Eaters would come back and kill the rest of us. Maybe they would have, eventually, if You-Know-Who hadn't been defeated. That's why I've always been scared of Malfoy and his gang, even though they never did anything to me. That's why my parents pulled me out of school last year, after the second prison break at Azkaban. I wasn't really sick; they just didn't want me at Hogwarts, in Slytherin House, while the Death Eaters were loose."

"Then why on earth did you become a Slytherin in the first place?" Ron asked. "Couldn't you have asked the Hat to put you in another House?"

"The Hat didn't want to put me in Slytherin," Daphne told him. "It said I should be a Hufflepuff. But everyone in my family has always been a Slytherin. All those insults that my dad had to put up with as a kid really bothered him. So it was important to him that we become Slytherins, to prove that our blood was pure."

"But Tom Riddle--You Know Who--was a half-blood," Ron protested, "and he was a Slytherin!"

"Yes, I read that in the Daily Prophet, after the war ended," Daphne said. "It's still hard to believe. Maybe he was, but at the time, no one believed that someone with Muggle blood would ever be admitted into Slytherin. After all, it was Salazar Slytherin himself who said that only purebloods should be taught magic."

"It must have been awful, living in that House and being scared all the time," Ron said sympathetically.

"It wasn't so bad at first, back when everyone thought You-Know-Who was dead," Daphne said. "I was quiet and tried not to attract attention to myself, and everyone pretty much left me alone. I didn't really have any friends, but no one bothered me, either. Then I started getting nervous, with all those strange things happening at school, with Professor Quirrell trying to kill Harry, and the Chamber of Secrets opening. And then me and my family got really scared when the Dark Mark was cast at the Quidditch World Cup, and it seemed like the Dark Lord really had come back."

"But now he's dead," Ron said gently. "For good, this time. I promise; I saw it happen."

"I guess, after all these years, it's hard to believe that I'm really safe," Daphne said quietly. "I mean, people thought he was dead before. And Draco and his friends are still here even though their dads are dead or in prison."

"I never thought I'd say this," Ron said, "but I think Draco is okay. I mean, I still think he's an obnoxious git--" Daphne smiled, just the slightest bit. "--but I don't think he's a Death Eater. And Dumbledore and Lupin and Blackmore all seem to think he's okay. I might suspect Lupin of being a little soft, but Blackmore--" Ron shuddered. "I don't think she'd hesitate to turn Malfoy into a toad if she suspected him of being a Death Eater."

Daphne's smile grew a little wider. "I guess you're right. I don't think a Death Eater would have saved Dylan's life at the Quidditch match, come to think of it, especially since he turned out to be a spy like Snape." She shook her head. "It's still hard to believe that Snape wasn't really a Death Eater."

"Same here," Ron agreed. "But Hermione swears she knew he was okay all along, and she never lets us forget it!"

"Why did Hermione think he was okay?" Daphne asked curiously.

"Well, actually she did suspect him at first, too," Ron said. "But then we found out that Dumbledore trusted him, and she figured that Dumbledore couldn't be wrong." Ron shrugged. "I don't know; I figure everyone can be wrong once in awhile, no matter how smart they are, but Hermione was convinced. And I think she actually liked Potions class, even though Snape was always mean to her. But Snape always hands out lots of homework, and Hermione just loves homework!" Daphne laughed, and Ron grinned. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

"I do feel a lot better now," Daphne said with a shy smile. "Thank you. It's been hard, not being able to talk about this with anyone. It's especially hard around Christmas; it's supposed to be a happy time of year, but my family always feels a little sad because it makes them think of Gabriel."

Ron suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable. "Uh...yeah, no problem. Are you gonna be okay now? I mean, if you're still worried about how Malfoy will act, maybe you could talk to Lupin or something--"

"I'm still a little nervous about facing Draco," Daphne admitted, "but I think I'll be okay. I'll apologize to him, and hopefully he won't be too mad."

"Listen, if he tries to shove you around, just punch him in the nose again!" Ron said firmly.

Daphne laughed again, then said in a more serious voice, "I can handle being shoved around, or being teased and called names. What I was really scared of was the thought of the Death Eaters or their allies coming after me and my family. But I'm not so scared anymore. Thanks again, Ron."

Ron felt a little weird about comforting a Slytherin girl, but on the other hand, it felt kind of nice to have helped someone. He'd been able to help someone, even if it was just by lending a friendly ear--not famous Harry Potter or brainy Hermione, but himself, plain old Ron Weasley. It felt good. "No problem," he said again.

"We could still have our tutoring session if you like," Daphne said hesitantly.

"Um...okay," Ron said, pulling out his Herbology text and settling more comfortably on the ground next to her. "I guess I could do with more studying; Mum will kill me if I flunk Herbology." He looked down at the scattered items he had pulled out while searching for a handkerchief, and began putting them back in his pockets. "Er...would you like a toffee?"

Daphne smiled and accepted the piece of candy.
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"So the Death Eaters murdered her brother?" Lukas asked.

"Yes," Snape replied, then smiled bitterly. "People tend to lump in all the Slytherin families together and assume that they were all Death Eater sympathizers, but the truth is that a good many of them lived in fear during the war. They didn't really want the Dark Lord to win, but at the time, it seemed likely that he would, so they didn't dare side against him. My parents were among those who sat on the fence, as Lucius used to call it."

"I would call them cowards," Lukas said, "except that I did the same thing. I couldn't see the point of defending the wizarding world that treated us like outcasts. It wasn't until the Death Eaters directly threatened my pack that I realized there could be no neutral parties in this war."

Snape nodded. "I suppose I should have kept a closer on eye on Miss Greengrass, but she never caused any trouble, and the other Slytherins left her alone and didn't seem to be harassing her. She's so quiet that you tend to forget she's there sometimes."

"Hmm," Lukas said. "Perhaps she needs my Defense lessons more than the other students do."

"Well, she's not in any danger now," Snape pointed out. "I'll check in at the dorm later to make sure that Mr. Malfoy doesn't seem to be carrying a grudge."

"All right," Lukas said, then grinned wolfishly. "Perhaps we'll make a warrior of Miss Greengrass yet; it really was a splendid hit, even if it was completely by accident!"

Snape couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm almost sorry that I missed it. But Miss Greengrass is lucky that Draco is no longer the little Death-Eater-in-waiting that he used to be."

Still, he expected Draco to be in a bit of a snit, so he and Lupin made one of their semi-regular visits to the dorm that night, bearing a platter of Christmas cookies. He tagged along in his usual grumpy manner, pretending that the whole thing was Lupin's idea. But to his surprise, Daphne seemed reasonably calm, although she still glanced over in Draco's direction warily every now and then as she nibbled on her cookie. And Draco seemed to be dealing with the whole incident fairly well himself, despite some gentle ribbing from his housemates.

"No harm done, I suppose," Draco said, rubbing his nose, when Snape asked him if he was all right. "Madam Pomfrey did a good job healing me."

"The first thing he did was check his reflection in the mirror to make sure his nose was still on straight!" Dylan teased. "And I thought I was the vain one!"

"A crooked nose might give you character!" Damien laughed.

"That's enough, guys," Blaise said with a smile. "It's no big deal; it's a class in combat, after all--people are bound to get hurt every now and then. There was the time that Ginny Weasley hit Dylan in the stomach--"

"That really hurt!" Dylan groaned.

"And Goyle gave me a black eye once," Blaise continued.

"I said I was sorry!" Goyle protested.

"I broke my nails once," Yvonne announced dramatically, "and right after I'd just had a manicure, too!"

That led to everyone comparing injuries they'd received in Physical Defense class, and they all seemed to forget about Draco's bloody nose. Lupin smiled at Snape, and Snape allowed one corner of his mouth to curve up slightly in acknowledgment. He leaned back against the couch and began reading the book he'd brought with him; apparently there had been nothing to worry about after all.

 

Part 77