Aftermaths, Part 80

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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"Have you lost your mind?!" Isabelle shouted furiously. "How dare you do something like that without consulting me first! You could've ruined everything, exposed the R.A.--"

"Relax," Stewart said. "I set up Theodore Snape to take the fall--"

"And they've already declared him innocent!" Isabelle shot back. "Or haven't you heard?" From the look on his face, Stewart had not. "I overheard Sprout talking about it with Vector--they questioned Theodore under Truth Potion! What if they decide to question every student in the school with Truth Potion?!"

Stewart's face went pale. "That's against the law! They can't do that without a warrant--"

"Dumbledore is a law unto himself!" Isabelle snapped. "And Snape is a Death Eater who doesn't care about the law! He doesn't give a damn about Dietrich, but since you framed his son, he'll be very interested in finding the real culprit--"

"No one can link me to the attack," Stewart protested, although he was still pale. "I was very careful."

"What if someone remembers your little run-in with Dietrich the other day? Don't you think you'll be one of the prime suspects?"

"I'm not the only one who's had a run-in with Dietrich," Stewart argued, but he turned even more pale. "He's pissed off at least half the people in the school, including most of his own housemates!"

"Well, I still think they'll be coming to question you eventually," Isabelle said, still glaring at him. "You'd better have an alibi ready."

"Corbin will say I was with him," Stewart said. "And since Corbin's been making nice to Rosier lately, hopefully they won't suspect him."

"You better hope they don't," Isabelle said coldly. "If we're exposed, it will ruin everything we've worked for, not to mention that you could have hurt innocent people. There were Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Ravenclaws in that class too, you know."

Stewart hung his head. "I didn't think," he said remorsefully.

"That's obvious," Isabelle said.

"I'm sorry," Stewart said contritely. "If I'm caught, I'll take the blame. I'll say it was all my idea--I won't mention the R.A., no matter what!"

"You won't be able to help it if they force you to take Truth Potion," Isabelle said, but she seemed to relent a little. "Although I don't think it will come to that. But from now on, you're to do nothing without talking to me first, is that clear?"

"Yes, Isabelle," Stewart said meekly. "I'm sorry, I was just getting so impatient. I want revenge for my father's death--"

"No, I think you wanted revenge because Dietrich hurt your pride," Isabelle said dryly, and Stewart flushed. "He doesn't associate with the Death Eater families because of his uncle's murder."

"He's still a Slytherin," Stewart said defensively. "None of them can be trusted."

"I didn't say that he was trustworthy," Isabelle replied. "But we should be targeting the real Death Eater sympathizers."

"Yes, Isabelle."

"Well, perhaps it's not a total loss," Isabelle said thoughtfully. "Your little misadventure has just given me an idea as to how we may expose our enemies without harming anyone."

"Really?" Stewart said, his eyes lighting up. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you about it AFTER you are no longer a suspect in the attack," Isabelle said sternly.

"Yes, Isabelle," Stewart sighed.
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Stewart was questioned, but Corbin claimed they had been together at the time, that Stewart had been helping him go over his homework before class started. And Flitwick was protective of his student, who had so recently lost his father; he believed that Stewart was a little troubled, perhaps, but certainly not violent. He adamantly refused to allow Snape to administer Truth Potion without any concrete evidence that Stewart was involved, and pointed out that Stewart's family, who was well-acquainted with the law, would certainly file a complaint against the school if Truth Potion was administered without a Ministry-issued warrant. And Snape, although he was still suspicious of the Ravenclaw boy, knew that he wouldn't be able to get a warrant with no real evidence, particularly not for the son of a slain Auror.

And it was true that Aric had offended many people, including the majority of his Slytherin housemates, and that he'd had similar run-ins with other students in the past; Stewart's was just the most recent. They were mainly minor incidents: running into another student accidentally and failing to give an apology, or making a snide, offhand insult for no particular reason. He also excelled at his Physical Defense lessons, as much as he claimed to disdain them, and had openly taken pleasure in administering many painful bruises to his sparring partners in class. There was nothing in particular, save the timing, that made Stewart's confrontation stand out. If Snape had known that Theodore had laughed at the encounter, he might have been more suspicious, but Theodore was still a little ashamed of how he had behaved, and did not mention it. Snape might brush it off, but Remus would be disappointed in him, and he didn't want to see disappointment or disapproval in his parents' eyes so soon after they had suspected him, however briefly, of being involved in the attack on Aric. Only a handful of students, mostly Ravenclaws, had witnessed the incident, and none of them mentioned Theodore's presence, either. Some of them hadn't noticed, or didn't think it was important, and the others saw no reason to make Snape more suspicious of their housemate, whom they believed to be innocent. Blaise had been there, of course, but since Theodore chose not to say anything, he kept silent as well; it was only circumstantial evidence, after all, and did nothing to directly link Stewart to the attack.

Aric's parents showed up at the school, shouting angrily at Dumbledore and Snape for letting harm come to their son. They would have taken Aric home for the holidays--in fact, they wanted to pull him out of Hogwarts entirely and send him back to Durmstrang--but strangely enough, Aric insisted that he wanted to stay.

"I won't let anyone drive me away," he said stubbornly. "I won't give them the satisfaction." His parents, though still upset and concerned, were proud of his courage and determination. Even Snape gave him a small, grudging nod of respect, although it was clear that he hadn't forgiven Aric for the Truth Potion incident yet. And if there were other reasons why Aric wanted to stay, reasons why he didn't hate the idea of serving detention with Bleddri at the clinic as much as he pretended to, he did not voice them aloud, or even silently to himself.

Most students who were laid up in the hospital wing received flowers, cards, or candy from their friends, but as Aric had few friends, he received few get-well presents. His parents brought him a vase of flowers when they came to visit, his older sister sent him a card, and Yvonne and a few of her friends sent him a box of candy. And, surprisingly, Lupin brought him a box of Bertie Bott's Beans.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Aric asked.

"Yes, I am," Lupin replied. "But it's possible to be angry with someone and still care about them at the same time." He smiled as Aric gaped at him in confusion. "As angry as I am, I'm still glad to know that you're all right; you gave us all quite a scare. Get some rest, and--" His expression turned a little sterner. "--perhaps you can use the time you're spending in bed to think about your actions."

Lupin left, and Aric absent-mindedly munched on a toffee-flavored bean. "Sanctimonious werewolf," he muttered, still feeling a little confused. He bit into a second bean, which he had thought was chocolate, then gagged and spat it out. "Liver," he muttered disgustedly, and reached for a glass of water to wash the taste out of his mouth. He stared down at the box of beans suspiciously, wondering if Lupin had bought the Every Flavor Beans simply because they were a popular treat, or if he had deliberately chosen them over something more innocuous--say, a box of fudge or Chocolate Frogs, for example. He suddenly remembered the stories Lupin had told the Slytherins in the common room, about the mischief he had gotten into with his friends as a schoolboy "Marauder". "Stupid werewolf," Aric muttered, but the corner of his mouth quirked up just a little.
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So the attack on Aric went unresolved, at least for the moment, and classes resumed, although the students were a little jittery, and would look around the Great Hall at mealtimes, their expressions thoughtful and a little fearful, as they wondered who had done it. Snape was not entirely sure that a Slytherin wasn't responsible, since Aric's worst enemies were his own housemates, so he took the precaution of warning his Slytherins in his scariest Death Eater voice, "When Mr. Dietrich returns to this dorm, I expect there to be no further 'incidents'. Any troublemakers will answer to me personally--is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor," the Slytherins meekly chorused.

Just in case, Snape also made much the same warning to his fourth-year Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw Potions class, staring straight at Stewart Ackerley while he delivered his warning. The boy went pale with fear, but so did most of the class, so that wasn't really a confirmation of guilt. Still, Snape came over and whispered to the boy as he was getting ready to leave class as the bell rang, "I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Mr. Ackerley." The boy nearly wet his pants and literally ran out of the classroom. Snape cackled wickedly, hoping that he had at least put a damper on any future "pranks".

Dumbledore arranged for the remaining Porvoras to be sent to an animal preserve; Hagrid wept as he said goodbye to his pets, but agreed that they would be safer there. The students breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little safer now that the "living bombs" were gone. Their spirits picked up as the last day of classes passed and the holidays approached. There were no classes on the last official day of school, but rather it was a Hogsmeade day, and the students forgot their worries as they walked down to the village, laughing and gossiping and tossing snowballs at each other. Snape, who was accompanying the students, along with Lupin and several of the other teachers, opened his mouth to shout at them, but McGonagall stopped him.

"Oh, let them be, Severus," she said with a rarely-seen indulgent smile. "They've been under a lot of tension lately; let them work some of it off. A few snowballs never hurt anyone."

Lupin bent down to scoop up some snow, then ran forward to join in on a snowball fight between Crabbe and Goyle and Luna.

"Oh, for pity's sake!" Snape exclaimed. "Lupin, act your age!"

The werewolf ignored him, laughing and shouting, "Hey, no fair ganging up on me!" as the three students pummeled him with snowballs.

Snape groaned and shook his head as McGonagall laughed.
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Draco entered the small jewelry store in Hogsmeade to pick up his mother's Christmas gift. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy," the proprietor, a dapper and portly gray-haired wizard said. "Your order is ready." He opened a small, velvet-covered jewelry box so that Draco could see the earrings that lay inside: two thin, spiraling strips of silver that curled into a shape vaguely resembling an "S," each with a small teardrop-shaped emerald dangling at the end. Before his family's fall from grace, the emeralds would have been larger, and the earrings would have been made from white gold or platinum, not silver, but while they were not poor, the Malfoys needed to watch their finances a little more carefully now that they no longer had Lucius's income. Still, Draco thought that his mother would be pleased with them. Emeralds were her favorite stone because they matched her green eyes, and he had designed the earrings himself, using the Slytherin House crest as inspiration.

"Do they meet with your approval?" the shopkeeper asked, and Draco nodded. "Would you like them gift-wrapped?"

"Yes, please," Draco said, and while the wizard was wrapping the earrings, he idly browsed around the shop. He still needed to get Serafina's Christmas present, and he wanted it to be something special, to show how much he appreciated all the times she had listened to him rant about his father. He glanced at a display of sapphire jewelry, but they were out of his price range, and besides, they didn't quite match her eyes, which were more violet than blue. A nearby display of amethysts were more reasonably priced, and the darker-hued ones would bring out the purple in her eyes. Still, as he examined the various rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, he couldn't really picture her wearing any of them. She never seemed to bother much with her appearance, wearing clean and well-made but plain robes, and never put on makeup or fussed with her hair the way the other girls did. And he had never seen her wearing a piece of jewelry; there was no point in getting her something that she wouldn't wear. The gift should be something that she liked, something that would make her happy.

"Here you are, Mr. Malfoy," the shopkeeper said, handing Draco the box, which was now wrapped in silver foil and a shiny green bow. "Was there anything else you needed?" He winked and added, "A gift for a young lady, perhaps?"

"No," Draco said, flushing. "Um, that's all for today, thanks."

"Well, have a Merry Christmas, then, Mr. Malfoy. Oh--and if you happen to see Professor Snape, tell him that his special order is ready."

"Sure," Draco said distractedly, still trying to figure out what to get for Serafina. "Merry Christmas." He slipped the gift box into his pocket and left the shop. Hmm...candy? No, while she would probably like it, that was hardly something special. He paused and stared across the street at Gladrags Wizardwear. Perhaps a pretty scarf or cloak? No, she didn't care about clothes any more than she did jewelry. Draco groaned in frustration. What the hell was he going to get her? Books were the only things that she really cared about. He supposed that he could get her a book, but a book didn't seem like something special...something meaningful...

"Hello, Draco," said a cheerful voice. "You don't look as though you're feeling very merry; is something wrong?"

Draco looked up to see Lupin's smiling face. He and Snape were standing in front of him; apparently they had just come from Honeydukes, Scrivenshaft's, and Gladrags, judging by the shopping bags that Lupin was carrying. They must be doing their Christmas shopping, too. "Oh, hi Professor," Draco said. "I'm just having a hard time deciding what to buy...um...a certain friend for Christmas."

Lupin smiled knowingly and slipped an arm around Draco's shoulders. He leaned close and whispered, "Would your friend by any chance be Miss Avery?"

"How did you know?" Draco blurted out in surprise.

Lupin chuckled. "Oh, I have my ways, Draco."

Snape snorted. "I'm still not convinced that you're not a Legilimens, Lupin."

"I'm just very observant and perceptive, Severus," Lupin said sweetly, then turned back to Draco. "Hmm, yes, I can see that Sera would be a difficult person to shop for. I assume you want to get her something more personal than a book?" Draco nodded. "Well then, let me think..." Lupin pondered the matter gravely for a couple of minutes, then his face brightened. "Ah! I know just the thing!" He whispered something into Draco's ear.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked dubiously.

"Trust me," Lupin said confidently.

"Well...okay," Draco said. "But I don't think there's one for sale in Hogsmeade."

"Severus?" Lupin asked. "Is it all right if I borrow Mr. Malfoy for a little while? I'm going to take him Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley."

"Fine," Snape said. "I'll stay here; I have a few more errands that I need to run." Snape looked relieved rather than annoyed, and Draco realized that he must need to pick up Lupin's present--in fact, that was probably his "special order" at the jewelry store.

"Do you want to want to Apparate to Diagon Alley?" Lupin asked Draco. "Or if you prefer to take the Floo, I'm sure Madam Rosmerta would allow us to use her fireplace."

"We can Apparate, Professor; I have my license," Draco replied. "Er...why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up with you in just a minute."

"Of course," Lupin said with a smile, then handed his packages to Snape. "Here, Severus, would you hold these for me while I'm gone?"

"Do I look like your packhorse?" Snape grumbled, but Lupin had already vanished.

"The jeweler said to tell you that your special order is ready, sir," Draco told his Head of House.

Snape's pale face turned an interesting shade of red. "Ah, thank you, Mr. Malfoy; I'll go pick it up now. You had better go meet Lupin. Oh, and Malfoy--"

"Don't worry, sir," Malfoy said with a grin. "I won't say anything to Professor Lupin."

Snape's face turned even redder and he said gruffly, "Be on your way, then, Malfoy," and hurried over to the jewelry shop. Still grinning, Draco Apparated to Diagon Alley to meet Lupin.

About half an hour later, Lupin and Draco returned to Hogsmeade. Lupin had a few more packages, but Draco was empty-handed.

"Did you not find what you were looking for, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked.

"Oh, I did, sir," Draco said, sharing a conspiratorial smile with Lupin. "But the shop is going to deliver it on Christmas morning." He turned to Lupin. "Thank you very much for your help, Professor."

"It was my pleasure, Draco," Lupin said warmly.

Crabbe and Goyle waved at him from across the street. "Well, thanks again, Professor," Draco said, and ran over to meet them.

"Did you get all your shopping done, Severus?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Snape replied.

"Did you get something for me?" Lupin asked with a mischievous grin.

"Perhaps," Snape said coolly.

"What is it?" Lupin asked playfully, trying to peek in the bags Snape was holding.

"Those are your bags, Lupin," Snape informed him. "You gave them to me to hold, remember? It's not in there. And here, you can take them back."

"C'mon, Sev, just give me a little hint," Lupin coaxed.

"You'll just have to wait till Christmas," Snape said firmly.

Lupin laughed. "Well, I guess I'd rather be surprised, anyway. Shall we go have a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks?"

"All right," Snape said. Lupin slipped his arm through Snape's, and the Potions Master heaved a sigh, pretending to be annoyed. But Lupin smiled up at him with blue eyes full of laughter and a radiant, joyful smile, and for a moment he looked like the fifteen year old boy Snape had first fallen in love with. Snape could not find it in himself to even pretend to scold Lupin, so he allowed the werewolf to lead him through Hogsmeade, still clinging to his arm contentedly. And if a few villagers raised their eyebrows, and a few of the students giggled, well, it was a small price to pay in return for Lupin's smile.
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Lupin and Snape stopped by the Slytherin common room that night for one last visit before they left for Snape Manor. Aric had just been released from the hospital wing, although he had not been allowed to go to Hogsmeade (both because of his condition and his detention), and was sitting beside the fire being fussed over by Yvonne and a few other girls. Lupin had brought a large box of Honeydukes assorted sweets: candy canes, marshmallow snowmen, and chocolates molded in Christmas shapes like trees, wreaths, bells, and Santas.

"It's sort of an early Christmas present," Lupin said with a smile as he passed the box around, "since we'll be leaving tomorrow, and I won't see you again till the Yule Ball."

"Actually, Professor," Pansy said, "we have something for you, too."

"A present?" Lupin asked, sounding delighted. "For me?"

"Yes, sir," Pansy said, grinning. "We'll be right back." She and Millicent ran to their room, then returned with two gift-wrapped packages. Draco had suggested that it might be prudent to buy something small for Snape, too, just so that he didn't feel snubbed. It was unlikely that he would, as Snape was not the sentimental type, and in any case, usually received his annual Christmas bribes from the Slytherin parents, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and the need to curry favor with one's superiors was an ingrained Slytherin trait.

"For you, sir," Millicent said, handing Snape his gift. "Merry Christmas." From the size, shape, and weight of the box--not to mention the wrapping paper printed with the Honeydukes logo--it was obviously a box of chocolates.

"Ah, thank you," Snape said awkwardly, obviously startled. He couldn't recall ever receiving a present personally from a student, although the parents of his Slytherins normally sent him expensive gifts every Christmas.

"And for you, Professor Lupin," Pansy said, handing Lupin a much larger box. "These are from everyone in Slytherin."

"Everyone?" Lupin asked, glancing at Aric out of the corner of his eye.

"Everyone," Pansy said emphatically. Aric scowled furiously, but did not contradict her.

"Why, thank you!" Lupin exclaimed, looking very touched. "I didn't expect this. Thank you so much, all of you." The Slytherins all beamed at him, looking very pleased with themselves, except for Aric, who kept scowling.

They passed a pleasant evening, eating candy and drinking hot chocolate, and talking about nothing in particular--just their holiday plans and what they hoped to get for Christmas and who was taking whom to the Yule Ball. No one mentioned tests or grades or near-fatal pranks.

Patrick Parkinson seemed to take a good deal of pleasure in watching his marshmallow snowman melt in his cocoa. He cackled wickedly as Miriam and Slaine giggled.

"Slytherin humor," Snape told Lupin.

"James and Sirius used to enjoy biting the heads off gingerbread men at Christmas," Lupin chuckled.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Snape muttered.

"Sometimes I worry about you," Pansy told her brother, shaking her head.

"You should worry more about what Mum will say when she finds out who you're going to the Ball with," Patrick said with a grin.

"Oh, drink your cocoa, brat," Pansy said, but in an affectionate manner.

Lupin played cards with some of the students, and Snape played chess with Dylan. Finally, when the younger children (and a few of the older ones) started yawning, Lupin called it a night.

Snape and Lupin returned to their quarters, and as they walked into the bedroom, Lupin said, "Look up, Sev." Snape glanced up and saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the doorway.

Snape laughed. "You know that isn't really necessary, Remus."

Lupin kissed him lightly on the lips. "I know," he said with a grin, "but I welcome any excuse to kiss you, Severus. And besides, I wanted to get this out of my system before we left Hogwarts. Somehow I doubt that Lady Selima will be happy if I start hanging mistletoe up all over Snape Manor."

Snape laughed again, in a much more wicked manner. "It would almost be worth it, to see the expression on her face!" Then he smiled slyly at Lupin. "So Remus, how long do you suppose it will take to 'get it out of your system'?"

"Oh, a very long time, I'm sure," Lupin said in a husky voice, wrapping his arms around Snape's neck and giving him a much deeper and more lengthy kiss.

"Then we'd better get started," Snape said breathlessly when they finally came up for air.

Part 81