Aftermaths, Part 79

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 R.A. met one more time before school let out for the holidays. Susan reported on Justin inviting Pansy to the Yule Ball. "Do you think maybe we were wrong about the Slytherins?" she asked hesitantly. "For someone like Pansy to go out with a Muggle-born...maybe they really have changed."

"Someone cast that hex on Dylan during the Quidditch match," Dean reminded her.

Isabelle and Stewart exchanged a brief look; they both knew who had really been responsible for the hex.

"Maybe it was just an internal Slytherin conflict," Jack said carelessly. "Let 'em kill each other off; who cares?"

"I still think Pansy's trying to trick Justin somehow," Tristan grumbled.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Isabelle finally said after a long silence.

There were a few shrugs and grumbles, but most of the members' minds were focused more on the holidays than their conflict with Slytherin right now. Tristan in particular was distracted, not just by the holidays, but by the feud going on within his family, and he left as soon as the meeting was concluded.

Only Isabelle and Stewart remained behind. "This isn't working out!" Stewart said in an agitated voice. "It didn't provoke a conflict the way we thought it would! We've got to find some way to draw the Slytherins out!"

"Let me think about it," Isabelle said. "Perhaps we can plan something...special...for the Yule Ball."

But Stewart grew impatient; sometimes Isabelle's plots were a bit too subtle for his taste. And then one day near the end of the term, he ran into Aric Dietrich between classes--literally. He was preoccupied with thinking of some way to prove that the Slytherins really were Death Eaters, and wasn't watching where he was going. "Oof!" he cried as he ran into the taller and heavier boy, and fell over backwards, dropping his bookbag and spilling its contents, and landing with a painful "thump!" on his backside. Aric laughed, and Stewart glared up at him. "Watch where you're going, you Slytherin git!"

Aric just sneered and said, "Why don't you watch where you're going, raven-boy? Too busy daydreaming about your little French girlfriend to watch where you're going?" Then he calmly stepped over Stewart's sprawled body and continued on his way, carelessly trodding across one of Stewart's homework assignments and leaving a footprint on it--Potions, of course. Snape would probably deduct a grade for that.

Theodore happened to be watching, and laughed mockingly at the fallen Ravenclaw. Normally he might have had more sympathy for a victim of his cousin, but he had not forgotten the way that Stewart had insulted Serafina's mother in The Three Broomsticks.

"That's enough, Theo," Blaise said in a quiet, disapproving voice, and grabbed his friend by the arm, and they hurried off to class.

"Ah, it serves him right," Stewart heard Theodore say in a dismissive tone as they disappeared out of sight down the hall.

"Stewart! Are you all right?" an alarmed Lisa Turpin asked. She and a few other students stopped to help him get to his feet and gather up his things.

"I'm fine," Stewart said, but inside he was seething. It was then that he came up with a plan to get back at both Dietrich and his cousin...
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"That was kind of mean, Theo," Blaise said when they were alone in their room studying after classes.

"Are you still going on about Ackerley?" Theodore asked irritably, without looking up from his textbook. "He's a git; have you forgotten how he treated Sera's mum?" His long hair was falling into his eyes, and he brushed it away impatiently with one hand.

"I haven't forgotten," Blaise said quietly, gently pulling back the offending lock of hair and tucking it behind Theodore's ear. "And I don't like him, either. But for a moment there, you and Dietrich looked awfully alike." Theodore raised his head, startled, and his dark green eyes looked both hurt and guilty.

"He deserved it!" Theodore protested defensively.

"It reminded me of the way you used to pretend to be one of Malfoy's loyal cronies," Blaise continued, and Theodore flushed with shame, ducking his head, causing his hair to fall forward across his face again. "I know you're better than that, Theo," Blaise said in a tender voice, brushing Theodore's hair back away from his face.

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't have laughed," Theodore grumbled. "You're awfully idealistic for a Slytherin, Blaise. Maybe Father is right--he's always saying that Remus is corrupting his Slytherins." Blaise laughed, and Theodore smiled at him in relief. "I don't know why you won't let me cut my hair," he grumbled, but in a much more good-natured voice this time. It's kind of a pain; it keeps getting in my eyes. I don't know how you can stand it."

Blaise laughed again. His hair was shoulder length, just a little longer than Theo's, but it was all one length, while Theo's bangs were still growing out. "It'll be better when it grows out a bit more," Blaise said cheerfully. "It's starting to get long enough so that you can tuck it behind your ears. And besides, if you cut your hair, I can't do this..." He ran his fingers through Theodore's hair. "Or this." He pushed Theodore's bangs back behind his ears, running his fingers lightly along the curves of the ears, then leaned over and gently nibbled on one lobe; Theodore gasped.

"That you can do whether I have long or short hair," Theodore said in a husky voice. Blaise ignored him, gathering up his hair and pushing it out of the way as pressed his lips first to the side, and then the nape of Theodore's neck.

"We're supposed to be studying," Theodore protested weakly. "We have a History of Magic test tomorrow."

Blaise let go of Theodore's hair and let it fall back across his shoulders, but only so that he could work on unfastening Theodore's robes. "We'll just take a short break," he said coaxingly. "It'll relax us so that we can study better."

"It'll be your fault if I fail History!" Theodore groaned.

"You're a good student, Theo; you'll be fine," Blaise reassured him. "If you really want to stop and go back to studying, you can." Despite his words, he shoved aside the book and crawled onto Theodore's lap. "But I think you'll have trouble concentrating! So you see, it's better to stop and get this over with."

"I take it back," Theodore said, giving him a smile that was half-resigned, half-admiring. "You are a true Slytherin!" Then he gave in--not that he had really been struggling all that hard--and wrapped his arms around Blaise and kissed him.
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A tall, dark-haired boy in a Slytherin uniform ran past Professor Vector as she approached the Arithmancy classroom for her first class that morning. She gave the boy a puzzled look, but he had already run out of sight down the hall. She thought the boy looked like Theodore Nott--no, Snape--but he was no longer her student, as he had stopped taking Arithmancy after fifth year, when the students started to choose more specialized classes in keeping with their career plans, so there was no reason for him to be here. Then her seventh-year class began arriving, and she shrugged off the odd incident and entered the classroom.

"Everyone take your seats," she ordered. "Let's get settled down so that you can take your tests." The class groaned, except for Miss Granger, who looked as eager as always. "The sooner you start," Vector said heartlessly, "the sooner it will be over with. So let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

There was a large box sitting on Aric's desk, wrapped in bright red and green Christmas paper, and topped off with a large red bow.

"Dietrich got a Christmas present?" Draco asked incredulously.

Aric glared at him. "Believe it or not, there are a few people who like me, Malfoy."

"Could've fooled me," Draco muttered.

"There's no tag on it," Aric observed.

"Perhaps it's from a secret admirer," Hermione suggested brightly.

Aric, like most Slytherins, was a bit more cynical and suspicious. He knew he wasn't very popular, although a few of the younger Slytherin girls, like Yvonne, were infatuated with him--or rather, not so much with him personally, but with his good looks and pure blood. He picked up the box and gave it a cautious shake.

An explosion rocked the room and the students jumped to their feet, screaming. When the smoke cleared, Aric lay on the floor covered with blood, and there were splashes of blood and bits of wrapping paper and bloody fur all over the room.

"Mr. Dietrich!" Vector cried, rushing to his side. The boy groaned softly. "Oh, thank Merlin, he's still alive! Is everyone else all right?"

The students answered in the affirmative; they were all shaken but unharmed, although some of them were spattered with blood not their own. As Vector called to Madam Pomfrey through the fireplace, Hermione knelt down and picked up a scrap of bloody fur. She looked up to see Draco staring down at her, his face ghostly white, but his eyes filled with recognition. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked softly.

"I think that Hagrid should go count his Porvoras," Draco replied.
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Theodore received a summons in the middle of Ancient Runes to report to the hospital wing. He was surprised to find Aric there, lying in one of the beds, with bandages around his head and arms. Madam Pomfrey was tending to him, and Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Lupin, Hagrid, and Vector were also there, all looking grave and troubled.

"What's going on?" Theodore asked, an uneasy feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what had happened, but he instinctively knew it wasn't good.

"Like you don't know!" snarled Aric.

"What's going on?" Theodore repeated. "What happened to you? Are you all right?"

"He'll be fine in a few days," Pomfrey said. "But he had an unfortunate encounter with a Porvora." She glared at Hagrid. "Those creatures never should have been brought to the school."

Hagrid began weeping, apparently not for the first time, as his eyes were already red. "Poor little thing," he sobbed. "He was only a baby! Who could be so cruel ter a little guy like that?"

"You're more concerned about the damn Porvora than me!" Aric complained. "It almost killed me!" He glared at his cousin hatefully. "YOU almost killed me."

"Me?" Theodore protested. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Someone stole one of Hagrid's Porvoras, wrapped it up as a Christmas present, and left it on Aric's desk in Professor Vector's classroom," Dumbledore said quietly.

"So what does this have to do with me?" Theodore asked, confused and hurt by the concerned looks Snape and Lupin were giving him. "I don't even take Arithmancy; I was nowhere near that room this morning."

"I saw you running out of the room, Mr. Snape," Vector said.

"What?!" Theodore cried. "That's a lie!"

"Why would Vector lie?" Aric snapped.

"That's Professor Vector, Mr. Dietrich," Dumbledore said quietly. "But yes, Theodore, there is no reason for Professor Vector to lie. She has no grudge against you, and indeed says that you were a good student when you used to take Arithmancy."

"Well then, she's mistaken about seeing me!" Theodore insisted, and turned to Snape, saying, "Father, surely you don't believe I had anything to do with this!"

He was dismayed to see a hint of doubt in his father's black eyes. "Theodore," Snape said carefully, in an almost gentle voice, "I don't believe that you would wish to kill your cousin, but if this is some sort of prank that got out of hand, you can tell me the truth. I won't be angry."

"I AM telling you the truth!" Theodore screamed, his eyes filling with tears. "I swear it! You can question me under Truth Potion; I swear I didn't do it!"

"We believe you, Theodore," Lupin said, sounding relieved, and he stepped forward to hug his foster son.

"I'm sorry, Theodore," Snape said, looking a little guilty. "I believe you."

"Well, I don't!" Aric shouted.

"But I saw him..." Vector said hesitantly.

"Theodore's word is good enough for me," Snape said sharply.

But that brief moment of doubt still stung, and Theodore said, "No! I want you to question me under Truth Potion! I want you to know for sure that I'm not lying!"

"I cannot force someone to take Truth Potion in a situation such as this," Dumbledore said, his face still grave, "but if Mr. Snape is willing, we could resolve this matter quickly and clear his name."

"You don't have to do this," Snape said, still looking guilty.

"I want to!" Theodore insisted. He didn't care what the others thought of him, but he wanted to prove beyond a doubt to his parents that he was innocent.

"Very well," Snape said. "I'll be back in a moment." He took the Floo to the dungeon and returned shortly with a small vial. "Open your mouth, please, Theodore," he said. Theodore obeyed and Snape carefully placed three drops of the potion on his tongue.
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All the emotion, the fear and hurt, drained out of Theodore's face, to be replaced by a look of unnatural calm; his gray-green eyes looked slightly glazed. Snape nodded at Dumbledore.

"Theodore?" the Headmaster asked. "Did you steal a Porvora from the pen behind Hagrid's hut?"

"No," Theodore replied in an emotionless voice.

"Did you ask someone else to do it for you?"

"No."

"Did you place the package containing the Porvora on Aric's desk?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"No."

"Did you enter the Arithmancy classroom this morning?"

"No."

"Did you try to cause harm to Mr. Dietrich?"

"No."

Dumbledore looked over at the other teachers. "I think we can agree that Mr. Snape is innocent of any responsibility in this incident, then."

Aric glared at Snape. "How can we trust the potion when Theodore's father is the Potions Master? How do we even know that's Truth Potion in there? It could be water for all we know!"

"Professor Snape is not under suspicion here, Mr. Dietrich," Dumbledore said sternly.

Snape glared at Aric. "You'll just have to trust me, Mr. Dietrich," he said in a cold voice, then reached into his pocket. "I'll administer the antidote now."

But before he could do so, Aric quickly called out, "Theo, are you responsible for Uncle Rafe's death?"

Snape whirled around, his eyes blazing with fury, but it was too late. "Yes," Theodore said, his voice still eerily emotionless.

"I knew it!" Aric hissed.

"Theodore," Lupin said gently, coming over to place an arm around Theo's shoulders, "it wasn't your fault."

"I showed him the welts and blisters on my arm where my father had hexed me," Theodore droned on calmly. "He was angry; he said he would protect me. He said he would take me to live with him, but first he went to confront my father. I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen. He said he wouldn't leave my mother behind. He told my father that he was taking us away from him, said he'd prove that Father was a Death Eater."

Snape fumbled with the vial of the antidote, cursing under his breath. "Father cast a Killing Curse at--" Theodore continued, then choked and coughed as Snape firmly grasped his chin, tilted his head back, and poured the antidote down his throat.

"Theodore?" Snape asked anxiously. "Are you all right?"

Theodore stared at him blankly for a moment, then blinked, and his green eyes filled with horror and grief. He turned to look at his cousin.

Aric's dark eyes were filled with grief and anger. A tear trickled down his face as he said, "I knew it was your fault!"

Theodore just stared back at him, his eyes haunted rather than angry. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "If I'd known what he was going to do, I never would have told him what Father did to me."

"It's not your fault, Theo!" Lupin said emphatically, and wrapped his arms around the boy. Lupin gave Aric a hard, accusing look. "You know who is really responsible for Rafe's death, Aric," he said reprovingly. "We had this talk in my office once before."

"I'll have you expelled, Dietrich!" Snape shouted.

Dumbledore frowned disapprovingly at Aric. "Perhaps not expelled, but he certainly should be punished. You betrayed your housemate and cousin's trust, Mr. Dietrich, took advantage--"

"What do you mean, not expelled?" Snape cried in outrage.

Dumbledore looked over at Lupin and Theodore; the boy was still resting passively in the werewolf's arms, looking tired and haunted. He made no argument for or against his cousin's expulsion. "Why don't you take Theodore back to your quarters while we determine Mr. Dietrich's fate, Remus?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Yes, Albus," Lupin instantly replied.

"But I have tests," Theodore argued halfheartedly. "I was in the middle of one in Ancient Runes--"

"You can make up your tests later," Lupin told him, gently but firmly. "I'll speak to your teachers." Theodore meekly followed him through the Floo with no further protests.

Dumbledore turned back to Aric. "What you did was very wrong, and you know it," he said. "And for what? To learn what you already knew?" Aric flushed a little. "You behave foolishly at times, Mr. Dietrich, but you are an intelligent young man. Even if you didn't know the particulars, you had already guessed that Rafe died trying to protect Theodore and Marta from Thaddeus."

"You promised that I could expel him if he made trouble!" Snape told Dumbledore.

"No, I said you could expel him if his hostility moved beyond words and he hexed his cousin," Dumbledore replied. "He has not done so, although he is seriously testing the limits of my patience." He gave Aric a stern look, and suddenly the affable, good-natured twinkle in his eyes was gone, to be replaced by a cold, implacable look. There was great power and great anger behind that gaze, and Aric shuddered; this was the wizard that even the Dark Lord had feared.

Snape spluttered with rage, Dumbledore blinked, and suddenly that aura of power was gone, although the Headmaster was still regarding him with disapproval. "Why should we give him a second chance?" Snape demanded. "He may not have harmed Theodore physically, but he's taunted and tormented him at every possible opportunity!"

"There were times," Dumbledore said, "when Draco treated Harry cruelly and unfairly. And times when you did." Snape's pale face flushed, although he still looked angry. "But if I had sent Draco away, he and Harry would not have learned to resolve their differences and work together. And perhaps Draco would have followed the same path as his father."

"I'm not a Death Eater!" Aric said indignantly. "And I don't want to be friends with Theo! If that's what you're hoping for, you might as well expel me now!"

"Don't tempt me, Mr. Dietrich," Dumbledore said, giving him that cold look again, and Aric fell silent.

"Redemption for everyone, Albus?" Snape asked, with a twisted smile that was somehow both bitter and affectionate at the same time. "Even a Death Eater."

"A chance at redemption, Severus," Dumbledore corrected him gently. "It is up to the individual to earn that redemption."

"So," Snape said, still with that odd, bitter smile, "I suppose that if even a Death Eater is given a second chance, that a young student who is merely obnoxious should be offered one, too."

Aric scowled, but remained silent, still intimidated by the more frightening side of Dumbledore.

"As you say," the Headmaster said, with his good-natured smile back in place.

"Well, he's not going to get off scot-free, is he?" Snape demanded.

"Oh no," Dumbledore agreed. "Fifty points from--"

"It's not fair to deduct points from Slytherin!" Snape hastily interjected. "That's Theodore's House as well, and he would in essence be punished for his cousin's crime!"

"You're right, Severus," Dumbledore said. "Well then, Mr. Dietrich will serve detention for the entire Christmas break--I do believe that you had planned to remain at Hogwarts over the holidays, Aric." Aric nodded sullenly. "If you behave yourself," Dumbledore continued, "I'll even let you attend the Ball."

"Whoopee," Aric muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Dietrich?" Dumbledore asked in a tone of stern warning.

"Nothing," Aric said.

"Is that all?" Snape asked disapprovingly. "Two weeks detention?"

"And an essay on the ethical use of Truth Potions, and the dangers of abusing them," Dumbledore added. "Two feet of parchment. His detention shall be served with Master Bleddri, who, I believe, was planning to spend much of his vacation helping at the clinic in Diagon Alley."

Snape smirked at Aric's dismayed expression. "Fine, but I feel a little sorry for Bleddri."

McGonagall said impatiently, "I am relieved to know that Mr. Snape is innocent, but that means we have no idea who is behind the attack on Mr. Dietrich."

Snape turned to Vector, his eyes narrowing. "Are you sure it was Theodore you saw?"

Vector thought it over carefully. "I only caught a quick glimpse of him," she replied. "I didn't get a good look at his face. But it was a tall boy with shoulder-length black hair in a Slytherin uniform. I assumed it was Mr. Snape."

"There's not that many people in Slytherin who match that description," McGonagall said with a frown. "Perhaps Mr. Zabini--"

Vector shook her head. "No, he's shorter than Mr. Snape." Everyone glanced over at Aric.

"Hey!" Aric cried indignantly.

"Mr. Dietrich is the right height, but his hair is too short," Vector said. "And I hardly think that he would plant a bomb on his own desk."

"Thank you," Aric muttered.

"It could be someone using a Polyjuice Potion to look like Theodore," Snape said, looking concerned. "Or perhaps some sort of glamor or illusion..." They all looked at each other, and Snape cursed under his breath. "Of course, an Illusion spell! I knew that damn tanuki would be trouble!"

"It's a rather advanced spell, Severus," McGonagall said a bit doubtfully. "Master Satoshi has taught his students simple Illusion spells, but to take the form of another person is very difficult--"

"But he--or she, it could even be a girl if it's an illusion--would only have to maintain the spell for a minute or two, just long enough for Professor Vector to get a glimpse of him," Snape said. "And she never saw his face. It would be easier to maintain the more general illusion of a dark-haired boy than Theodore specifically. And changing the crest on one's robe would not be that difficult." He looked over at Aric. "So who would want to hurt you besides my son, Dietrich?"

"At least half of Hogwarts," Aric said grumpily, then winced. "I can't think straight; my head hurts."

"You were thinking quickly enough to take advantage of the Truth Potion," Snape snapped.

"Let him be," Pomfrey said. "He did suffer a concussion during the explosion, and the Healing spells have drained his strength. Let him get some rest; if he thinks of anything later, I'll let you know."

"Very well," Snape said, although he didn't look entirely convinced. "Since we don't know who tried to harm Mr. Dietrich, perhaps you should set some warding spells around the room and limit access to teachers for now."

Pomfrey looked unhappy, but nodded, and the teachers departed, Hagrid still sniffling over his slain Porvora. Snape paused beside Aric's bed on the way out and bent down to whisper, "Just remember, Dietrich, you may have been given a second chance, but you won't get a third one no matter what the Headmaster says." He gave Aric a cold, piercing look that made him shudder.

"Severus!" Pomfrey snapped, and Snape left.
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Snape went to his quarters to find Lupin and Theodore sitting on the couch. Theodore looked pale and unhappy, and Lupin looked worried. He was stroking Theodore's hair and saying something in a soft, comforting voice when Snape walked in, and he looked up and said in a relieved voice, "Ah, Severus, you're here."

Snape sat on the couch beside them and asked, "Are you all right, Theodore? Sometimes people feel a little ill while the Truth Potion is wearing off." But when he looked into his son's eyes, he knew that the Truth Potion had nothing to do with it. He realized that he had inadvertently hurt Theodore much worse than Aric had, and silently cursed himself for it. "I'm sorry, Theodore," he said. "I'm truly sorry that I doubted you for even a moment."

"When I saw that look in your eyes..." Theodore whispered.

"I'm sorry," Snape repeated, feeling helpless. Normally he hated apologizing, but now the words fell easily from his lips, for all the good that they did. He would apologize a hundred times if it would make Theodore feel better, but he was afraid that a simple apology would not be enough to mend things between them.

"As much as I hate Aric," Theodore said, "I wouldn't kill him."

"I know," Snape said. "I just--"

"It's bad enough that I'm responsible for Rafe's death."

"You're not responsible for--"

"I've already done enough to Aric," Theodore continued, and his voice still sounded a little hollow, as if the Truth Potion was still in effect. "By taking our uncle away from him. I don't blame him for hating me."

"Theodore--"

Theodore looked up, his green eyes filled with tears, and suddenly his voice was full of emotion again. "And I wouldn't dishonor you that way, Father, even if I did want to hurt Aric! I promised to be a good heir and uphold the honor of the Snape family! I wouldn't risk that over some stupid quarrel with Aric!"

"I'm sorry, Theodore," Snape said, wrapping his arms around his son and pulling him close. "I'm so sorry." He held the boy while he wept, gently stroking Theodore's hair and back. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I doubted, for just a moment, because I did some very stupid things myself when I was a boy, casting hexes upon Lupin's Gryffindor friends. And of course I made a monumental mistake by joining the Death Eaters." Theodore raised his head up off Snape's chest a little, sniffling and blinking back tears. "You're much wiser than I was at your age," Snape told him, laying his hand against Theodore's cheek and gently brushing away a tear with his thumb. "I should have trusted you. But even if you did make a mistake, you could never dishonor me. You will always be my son, and I will always love you, no matter what you do."

Theodore's eyes widened, and Snape thought for a moment that he had made a mistake by implying that Theodore might do something dishonorable in the future, although he had not meant it that way. But suddenly Theodore flung his arms around Snape and said fiercely, his voice slightly muffled because his face was pressed against Snape's chest, "I love you, Father!"

It was the first time that Theodore had said those words to him. Snape, who had been taught--with a Cruciatus Curse--not to cry as a child, who had wept only a handful of times in his entire life, found his eyes filling with tears. He held Theodore tightly, and gently pressed his lips against the top of Theodore's head, although he was normally reticent about showing such affection to his sons, at least when they were awake. "I love you, Theo," he said softly, and was only half-aware that he had used the boy's nickname for the very first time.

Lupin noticed, though, and smiled tenderly at the pair; he was weeping himself a little, too. He came over and slipped his arms around both of them, and Theodore looked up and laughed through his tears.

"And I love you, too, Remus," Theodore laughed, and Snape was relieved to finally see that the hurt, betrayed look had finally vanished from his eyes.

"And I love you, Theo," Lupin said with a smile, planting a gentle kiss on Theodore's forehead. "And you, too, Severus." And planted a less gentle kiss square on Snape's mouth.

"That's enough, Lupin," Snape said gruffly. "I think we're all aware of that." Lupin grinned hugely, Theodore laughed again, and the three of them disentangled themselves.

"We didn't really think you would do such a thing," Lupin told his son gently, "but we were confused by Vector's statement that she'd seen you leave the room."

"We should have seen the most obvious answer," Snape said, feeling disgusted with himself. "A Polyjuice Potion, or more likely, an Illusion spell."

"Of course!" Lupin exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because Aric and I are always at each other's throats," Theodore replied with a wry smile. "And because Slytherins are famous for hexing other people, including each other."

"It wasn't precisely a hex," Lupin said.

"And you're afraid of the Porvoras," Snape said, mentally kicking himself. "I remember how you came to complain to me about them when Hagrid brought them to class. Even if you did intend to play a prank on your cousin, I should've realized that you wouldn't use a Porvora to do it."

"It's a stupid, thoughtless prank," Lupin said. "I hate to say it, but it sounds like something a Gryffindor might do."

"Is it really thoughtless?" Snape wondered. "That's twice now, that someone has played a prank that could have caused serious injury. Is it thoughtlessness or malice? Even Black wasn't stupid enough to play a near-fatal prank twice."

"You're scaring me, Severus," Lupin whispered.

"Maybe we should be scared," Snape said grimly. "I never thought I'd say this, but perhaps it's best that we'll be going to Snape Manor soon." He stroked Theodore's hair. "You'll be safe there."

"It wasn't me who was attacked," Theodore pointed out, but he seemed pleased by Snape's concern. "Um...what will happen to Aric?"

"Dumbledore wouldn't let me expel him," Snape said sourly. "He gets two weeks detention with the werewolf...er, the other werewolf. He'll probably be 'volunteering' at the clinic again."

"I think it will be good for him," Lupin said.

"I'm sorry," Snape told Theodore. "I still think he should have been expelled for that little stunt, but--"

"It's okay, Father," Theodore assured him. "I don't really care. I'm just glad that you trust me again."

That made Snape feel guilty again. He awkwardly reached out and patted Theodore on the shoulder. "Well, why don't you lie down and get some rest?" he said gruffly. "Remus and I will stay here with you."

"But what about my classes?" Theodore asked. "And what about your classes?"

"I doubt that anyone will mind missing Potions class," Snape said dryly, "except perhaps Dylan and Miss Granger." Theodore laughed. "All the students have to do is turn in their potions today, anyway. I was going to make them test their potions on each other, but I can test them in my workshop later."

"Why don't you at least rest till lunch?" Lupin said with a smile. "If you're feeling better, you can finish up your afternoon classes."

"Okay," Theodore said, giving in. He did feel shaken, and a little drained, although he thought it was probably more to do with being upset that his parents had doubted him than any aftereffects of the potion. And it made him happy that Snape and Lupin thought he was more important than their classes.

It made him even happier when Dylan burst into the Potions Master's quarters a little later, red-faced and out of breath from running. "Draco told me what happened," he gasped. "That Dietrich got attacked. And then we heard that Theo got pulled out of class, and people were saying that he did it, but I know he didn't--"

"Calm down, Dylan," Snape said, as Dylan panted and tried to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, I should have sent word to you that everything is fine."

"Fine?" Dylan cried. "Dietrich nearly got killed, Theo got pulled out of class, and Dumbledore canceled your and Remus's classes for the morning!"

"I'm okay, Dylan, really," Theodore said, coming out of the bedroom when he heard all the commotion.

"I'm sorry, Dylan," Lupin said, giving him a hug. "We should have realized you'd be worried. Theo was accused of attacking Aric, and he took a Truth Potion to prove his innocence. He's fine, but we thought he should rest a bit before going back to class."

"Attack?" Dylan exclaimed. "Truth Potion? What's going on?"

Snape sighed. "It's a long story, but I see you won't leave until you hear it." But the annoyance in his voice did not seem genuine, and he smiled a little. "Well, have a seat. I'll write you an excuse slip for the class you're missing."

 

Part 80