Aftermaths, Part 81

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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Snape, Lupin, and the boys arrived at Snape Manor the next morning after breakfast, laden down with bags and suitcases filled not only with clothes and personal items, but numerous Christmas presents as well. Dylan, although he was no longer single, was still quite popular, and was carrying a shopping bag filled entirely with presents from his fellow students, mainly the female ones.

"Well, aren't you the popular one?" Lupin teased.

"I had twice as many presents last year," Dylan said cheerfully. "Some of my admirers have abandoned me now that I'm no longer available."

In addition to their bags, they were also burdened with the cages containing Dylan's owl and Lupin's pet rat, but they somehow managed to get everything through the Floo in one trip. They stepped out of the fireplace and into the drawing room at Snape Manor, and gasped in surprise. There was a huge Christmas tree, over six feet high, standing in one corner of the room. Vorcher sat on the floor beside it, unpacking cardboard boxes filled with Christmas ornaments. When he saw them, he hastily scrambled to his feet and bowed, saying, "Welcome, Master. Vorcher begs the Master's pardon; the Mistress did not expect Master to arrive this early. Shall Vorcher fix tea and breakfast for the Master, the young Master, and their guests?"

"No, thank you," Lupin said politely. "We ate at Hogwarts."

Snape was still staring in shock at the tree. "Mother bought a Christmas tree this year?" he asked of no one in particular.

"Well, it is the Christmas season, after all, Severus," Lupin pointed out.

"My parents were never that big on Christmas, Lupin," Snape replied. "Although they did put up a tree and decorations when my mother was entertaining guests, simply because that was what people expected. But it was all for appearances."

"The Mistress and Master have not put up a tree for Christmas since the Master retired from the Ministry and Master Severus left home," Vorcher said, with just a hint of reproach in his voice. "But the Mistress said we should have a tree this year since Master Severus was coming home for Christmas." Vorcher smiled happily now. "And a Christmas feast!"

"A tree?" Snape asked, still staring at the item in question. "Just because we've come to stay for the holidays?"

"It was a lovely thought," Lupin said, smiling at him warmly. "It's just not Christmas without a tree. My family always had one, even if it was just a scrubby little thing that was more of a branch than a tree."

"It's a great tree!" Dylan said enthusiastically. "Can we help decorate it?"

"Of course," Selima said, entering the room. "That was why I had Vorcher wait until today to bring down the decorations." She gave Lupin a small, ironic smile. "It seemed like the sort of thing a Gryffindor would enjoy."

"I love decorating Christmas trees," Lupin said, grinning back at her, unoffended.

"Me too," added Dylan. "I always helped my mother and uncle and aunt decorate the tree at home." He smiled, a little sadly, and Lupin gave him a hug.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" Lupin asked, and Dylan smiled again, with real pleasure this time.

"Perhaps we should take our bags up to our rooms and get unpacked first?" Snape suggested, and his lover and sons all gave him identical pleading looks. Lupin in particular looked so much like an eager child awaiting Christmas that Snape couldn't help but laugh.

Even Lady Selima smiled. "I think the unpacking can wait, Severus," she said almost indulgently. "Besides," she added, staring at the overflowing bag of Dylan's Christmas presents, "it seems that you can take care of some of the unpacking right here, once the tree is decorated. It's just as well that I bought a tree this year, or you would have no place to put your presents. The four of you certainly seem to have many friends."

"Oh, those are all Dylan's, Grandmother," Theodore laughed. "He's the most popular boy in the school!"

"You take after your father, I see," Selima said dryly to Dylan, who grinned.

"So everyone says, Lady Selima," Dylan agreed.

Snape watched in bemusement as Lupin and the boys helped Vorcher unpack the Christmas ornaments he remembered from his youth: delicate hand-blown glass spheres of green, red, gold, and silver--all very elegant and tasteful; nothing cute or sentimental like reindeer or Santas or angels. Lady Selima despised "cute," and Snape rather agreed with her, having a vivid memory of Elaine Baddock's collection of round-eyed, childlike, saccharine-sweet angel ornaments; Elaine had appallingly bad taste for a Slytherin.

There was a set of fanciful animal ornaments, though--a phoenix, unicorn, hippogriff, griffin, and several types of dragons, all hand-blown glass in exquisite colors. "How lovely!" Lupin exclaimed, holding up the phoenix, which was wrought in subtle shadings of red and orange that almost seemed to glow with an inner light.

"A gift from Ali," Selima sighed. "Of course."

Snape remembered those ornaments, which Ali had brought back from one of his frequent trading missions when Snape was five years old. Of all Snape's relatives, Ali was the only one who would choose such a whimsical gift. They did not entirely meet with Selima's approval, but since they were more elegant than cute, still merited a place on the tree, if only because they were a gift from a kinsman.

"Perhaps we should put up the tinsel first?" Lupin suggested.

"No tinsel this year," Vorcher said, smiling proudly. "The Mistress bought these." He opened another box and pulled out a long silver chain, along which were strung clear glass icicles, which tinkled softly against each other like wind chimes.

"I always thought that tinsel was a bit tawdry," Selima said with a disdainful little sniff.

"So realistic-looking," Lupin said, gently laying a finger against one of the icicles. "I almost expect it to feel cold to the touch." They carefully strung the chain around the tree, using a bit of levitation magic to reach the top of the tree. Next Vorcher brought out a set of gold and silver candleholders, and a box of small white candles. "Ah, real candles," Lupin said. The Potter family used to put electric lights on their tree, but he should have realized that a family as steeped in tradition as the Snapes would never stoop to using what they considered "Muggle devices".

"Of course," Selima said, sounding offended. "I would hardly use those crude Muggle electric lights."

Lupin smiled. "When my friend James was a boy, he somehow managed to set the tree on fire while playing with the candles. After that, his parents always used electric lights."

"There is a flame repellant spell set on the tree," Selima said, "and I never leave the candles lit when the tree is unattended. Nor would I leave a small child unattended with a tree full of lit candles. Then again, the Potter boy always got into an inordinate amount of trouble, so perhaps it wasn't entirely his parents' fault."

Snape scowled, recalling that the trouble James Potter got into usually involved himself, and that James usually managed to escape with a slap on the wrist if he received any punishment at all. Everyone always believed the golden boy's word over that of Snape's...well, nearly everyone. Professor De Lacy had of course favored his own House over Gryffindor, and Branwen had never been moved by Potter's charming smile and glib tongue. Then Snape looked over at Lupin, who was laughing with the boys as they decorated the tree, looking as eager and excited about the coming holiday as any of the first-years. His scowl eased into a smile, and his resentment dissipated. James Potter was dead, after all, and Snape was alive and well, with Lupin by his side. The golden boy would probably have a fit if he could see his friend spending Christmas with "that slimy git" and two Slytherin foster sons--in the mansion of one of the oldest Slytherin families in the wizarding world, no less. Snape's smile grew a little wider and smugger; yes, it was shaping up to be a very merry Christmas, indeed.

"A word with you in private, if you please, Severus," Selima said softly, interrupting his thoughts.

Startled, Snape glanced at his mother; her face was set in its usual blank, polite mask, which probably did not bode well for him. He silently groaned and followed his mother out of the room, not wanting to disturb Lupin and the boys, who were still preoccupied with decorating the tree. "Yes, Mother?" he asked warily when they were alone.

"I received a call from Priscilla Parkinson this morning at breakfast," Selima replied. "She was ranting about her granddaughter going to the Yule Ball with a Muggle-born boy. I don't suppose you'd care to shed some light on the subject?"

Snape shrugged. "Perhaps I did hear that some Hufflepuff boy had asked Pansy to the Ball. It's hardly my job to keep track of the students' romances."

"Priscilla seems to feel that as Head of Slytherin, you should have prevented this from happening, or at least informed her of it," Selima said, her face still calm and bland.

Snape snorted. "If I tried to keep track of every flirtation and romance in the school, I would have no time left to teach. So long as the students aren't making out in the halls or sneaking out after hours, it's hardly my concern. It is the Parkinsons' job to decide whom their daughter--or granddaughter--may or may not date. If they have failed as parents to raise an obedient daughter, it is their problem, not mine, and you may tell Priscilla I said so."

To Snape's surprise, his mother smirked and said, "Oh, I will, and take great pleasure in doing so. I cannot tell you how many times Priscilla has chided me--ever so gently and for my own good, of course--for allowing my son to stain the family honor, telling me that it is my duty as a mother to make my son behave properly."

Snape smiled with relief. "Well then, that's settled."

"So what do you really know about the situation, Severus?" Selima asked curiously. "Is this a mere act of rebellion on Pansy's part, or is she truly smitten with this Muggle boy?"

Snape shrugged. "Miss Parkinson suddenly seems to have become quite rebellious, but I don't think she's doing this just to shock her family. Her eye has been roving among the young men at Hogwarts ever since her unofficial engagement with Mr. Malfoy was broken off, and she does not care for any of the candidates her parents are considering as possible replacements. She does not wish to make a loveless marriage for wealth, or so she told one of her friends. And she considers the threat of being disowned an empty one because her brother will inherit the estate, anyway. She declares she is quite able to make her own way in the world, although I suspect she doesn't realize how hard that can be, especially for a pampered pureblood girl. Still, she was brave enough to help fight the Death Eaters during the final battle, and she seems quite determined." Snape tried to look sour, but couldn't quite hide his amusement. "Lupin and Bleddri have been a bad influence on my students. Branwen, too--by her mere presence, she makes the Slytherin girls wonder why they should not become heads of their families instead of their brothers."

"Would it shock you to learn that I have had that same thought myself a time or two?" Selima asked lightly.

"Not really," Snape admitted with a faint smile. "You have been running the Snape family for years, even if Father was the official Lord, and you would have been heir to the Bashir clan if women could inherit the title."

Selima gave him a small smile and inclined her head in acknowledgment; Snape found it a little odd, though not displeasing, to actually be having a pleasant conversation with his mother. "And this Muggle-born boy?" Selima asked, changing the subject. "What is he like?"

Snape shrugged again. "A typical Hufflepuff, serious and hardworking. Clever enough, though not outstandingly so, the way Dylan or Miss Granger are. Miss Parkinson finds him handsome, and was impressed by his bravery during the final battle. They were only supposed to be tending patients in the field hospital, but were forced to fend off a Death Eater attack, and all the students acquitted themselves admirably, according to the Healer and the other wizards who were there with them. Mr. Finch-Fletchley seems quite smitten with Miss Parkinson, but I'm not sure that this is anything more than a passing fancy on Miss Parkinson's part; she doesn't really know him very well outside of class. It could be that if her parents simply hold their peace and wait it out, she might tire of him and move on to someone else. She was infatuated with Dylan--along with nearly every other girl at Hogwarts--only a few months ago, after all. On the other hand, if the Parkinsons forbid her to see him and threaten disownment, it's quite possible that it will only make Mr. Finch-Fletchley into a more appealing and romantic figure. Most of the Slytherin girls are very fond of torrid romance novels and tragic tales of star-crossed lovers."

"Forbidden fruit is more desirable," Selima said with an ironic little smile. "A concept you should be familiar with." Snape scowled, and his mother said, "Peace, Severus; I meant no offense. We have called a truce, have we not--you and Lupin and I?"

"Yes, Mother," Snape said, relaxing a little. It was something of a miracle, after all, that she had accepted Lupin's presence in his life, and invited the werewolf to spend the holidays at Snape Manor. "But I do not desire Lupin because he is forbidden." He paused, then added, more honestly, "At least, that is not the only reason." He half-expected her to ask what other reasons there might be, but she merely looked thoughtful and said nothing. Actually, she and Lupin had been getting along fairly well recently, and Snape wondered once again what had transpired between them the day of his father's funeral.

Selima blinked, and the thoughtful look vanished from her face. "Let us go check on the others," she said briskly, "and see what they have done with the tree. I hope that the Professor has better taste than most of his fellow Gryffindors. Then again, I suppose he can't really do any damage since he's using our decorations. Do you know that I once saw a tree belonging to a Gryffindor family that was decorated solely with lion-shaped ornaments and red and gold tinsel?"

"Lupin has better taste than most Gryffindors," Snape assured his mother. Then he remembered Lupin's red, lion-printed pajamas, but decided that they reflected more on Dumbledore's poor taste than Lupin's, since they had been a gift from the Headmaster.

"Ah, there you are," Lupin said with a smile, as Snape and his mother returned to the drawing room. "We're just about done; you missed all the fun!"

Selima looked over the tree, nodded approvingly, and said, "Well done." It seemed that despite Lupin's questionable Gryffindor tastes, the tree met with Lady Snape's exacting standards. The various ornaments and candleholders had been neatly and evenly dispersed over the entire tree, with no empty spaces near the bottom of the tree, which most people tended to overlook, or near the top of the tree, where it was hard to reach without using magic. The candles were distributed evenly among the ornaments, and the ornaments had also been carefully arranged so that no two of the same color hung next to each other.

Lupin and the boys smiled proudly. "Thank you," Lupin said. "There's just one ornament left." He held up a star, which unlike the other ornaments, was not made of glass, but had been carved from a large piece of clear crystal; its facets seemed to shimmer as Lupin tilted it slightly to catch the sunlight falling through the window. "I thought perhaps you would like to do the honors, Lord Snape," Lupin said, holding out the star. Snape took it and placed it on the tree; by standing on his toes and stretching his arm up, he could just barely reach the top of the tree without resorting to magic. "There!" Lupin said with satisfaction. "Now it's complete."

"Can we light the candles?" Dylan asked.

Selima smiled; she seemed to be in a remarkably good mood, and Snape wondered whether it was due to the holidays or the gossip they'd shared about the Parkinsons. Well, one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, he supposed. "We can light them tonight after dinner," Selima said. "It needs to be dark in order to get the full effect."

Vorcher took the empty boxes back up to the attic, and Lupin, Snape, and the boys unpacked their gifts and placed them beneath the tree. Theodore and Dylan couldn't help but notice that some of the gifts Lupin unpacked had their names on them.

"Hmm," Dylan said thoughtfully, shaking one box, which failed to make any noise. "I wonder what it is?"

"Maybe you shouldn't do that," Theodore said half-jokingly. "Remember what happened to Aric when he shook that booby-trapped present!"

"I don't think that Remus would give me a Porvora for Christmas," Dylan said with a grin.

"No peeking," Lupin admonished sternly, shaking a finger at his sons. "You'll just have to wait until Christmas to find out what they are!" But despite his stern tone of voice, his blue eyes glinted with laughter.

"Yes, Remus," the two boys chorused meekly, then grinned at each other.

"I see Hermione gave you a present, Severus," Lupin said pleasantly.

"Yes," Snape said gruffly. "Something utterly useless, no doubt--more knitting, probably."

"I thought the scarf she gave you last year was quite handsome," Lupin said sweetly. "And it would come in handy if, say, we decided to have a snowball fight or build a snowman on the lawn."

Snape snorted. "You may indulge in such childish pastimes if you wish, Lupin, but I have no intention of building a snowman or participating in a snowball fight. In fact, I intend to spend as much time as possible indoors, where it is dry and warm, like any sensible person would."

Lupin smiled nostalgically. "But Severus and I had a splendid snowball fight once, back in fifth year," he told the boys.

"Really?!" they exclaimed, having difficulty picturing that scene.

Snape snorted again. "Lupin started it," he said defensively.

"Well, yes," Lupin admitted. "But you cheated."

Snape smirked. "I told you not to throw that thing at me; you were fairly warned, Lupin. Never mess with a Slytherin."

Dylan and Theodore looked intrigued, so Lupin had to explain the story of how he had thrown a snowball at Snape, who had retaliated by using magic to create a huge snowball that was as big as Lupin. The boys laughed, then glanced out the window at the snow-covered grounds of the Snape estate. "Can we go outside after we get unpacked, Professor?" Dylan asked Snape eagerly.

Snape glanced at his mother, expecting her to object to having something so undignified as a snowball fight to take place on the grounds. Nor had there ever been a snowman built at Snape Manor in Snape's memory, although his mother had once commissioned an artist to create an ice sculpture on the lawn for a Christmas party. But to his surprise, Selima just shrugged and said, "I suppose it's all right. Just don't build any anatomically correct snowmen like your father did."

"You know about that?" Dylan asked, startled.

Selima smiled. "Indeed; gossip has always traveled quickly in the wizarding world. I believe Evan got a week's detention, and his father was furious, although I think his mother was secretly a little amused."

"Anatomically correct snowmen?" Theodore asked, raising his eyebrows.

"A snowman and a snow-woman, to be exact," Snape said dryly. Dylan and Theodore laughed.

"We'll behave ourselves, Grandmother," Theodore promised with a smile.

"Good," Selima said. "Just make sure you're back inside in time for lunch at noon."

They went upstairs and got unpacked, although Snape suspected that the boys had done only a cursory job of it, considering the haste with which they finished and ran outside, their footsteps clomping noisily as they hurried down the stairs. But Snape felt pleased to see them acting like normal children, eager to play in the snow, so he held his peace and didn't scold them.

Lupin, ever the child at heart, stared after them so wistfully that Snape said, "Oh, go on! I'll finish unpacking."

"Thanks, Sev!" Lupin said gratefully, without even a token protest. "But wouldn't you like to join us?"

"No," Snape said firmly. "The three of you can go catch pneumonia if you wish. As I said, I prefer to stay dry and warm; I shall sit by the fire and catch up on my reading."

"As you wish," Lupin said, looking a little disappointed. He threw on an outer robe of thick, waterproofed wool, put on a pair of wool gloves, and wrapped a scarf around his neck. "I think I'll stop by the kitchen on my way out, and pick up some coal and a carrot for the snowman."

Snape looked at his half-unpacked suitcase and caught a flash of green amidst his black garments; he looked more closely and saw that it was the scarf that Granger had given him for Christmas two years ago. "I don't know how the blasted thing got in here," Snape said gruffly, throwing the scarf at Lupin, "but here, you can use it for your snowman, since I'll never wear it."

"Thanks, Sev," Lupin repeated with a grin, and ran out of the room.

Snape finished unpacking, lit the fireplace in his room with a flick of his wand, and settled down in the chair beside it with his book. It was a rare Potions text that he had recently obtained, but he hadn't had much time to read it, between his teaching duties, his mother's dinner party, and the attack on Aric. He had been looking forward to finding some quiet time to read it during the holidays, and opened the book with a quiet sigh of satisfaction. But strangely enough, he couldn't seem to concentrate, and he had to keep flipping the pages back, because he couldn't remember what he had just read a minute ago. He glanced over at the closed window just as a snowball hit it, causing the glass to rattle in its frame.

Snape set aside the book, strode across the room, and flung the window open. "My mother will have a fit if you break the window, Lupin!" he called down, certain that his sons would have better sense than to do such a thing.

The werewolf grinned up at him, his robes and hair covered with clumps of snow. "Come on out and play, Severus!" Lupin called. "I need some help out here--two against one just isn't fair!" Theodore and Dylan laughed; they did not have nearly so much so much snow on their robes.

Snape leaned out the window, smirking, suddenly feeling much more cheerful. "You need to get over your Gryffindor notions of fairness, Lupin," he retorted. "A Slytherin never plays fair."

"Believe it or not, Severus," Lupin said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "I have learned from past experience." And Snape noticed too late that Lupin was holding another snowball in one of his hands; before the Potions Master had a chance to step back from the window, Lupin whipped the snowball up and hit Snape square in the face.

Snape spluttered and wiped the snow from his face, and looked down to see Lupin laughing triumphantly. "Surely your Slytherin pride won't let you pass up that challenge!" Lupin shouted.

Dylan and Theodore just stood there, their eyes wide and round with shock, and they gazed at Snape apprehensively, waiting to see what he would do to Lupin. But then, they were Slytherins, which meant that they had much more sense than their Gryffindor foster father. Snape was pleased to note that the werewolf had not completely corrupted them.

Snape pulled out his wand and gave Lupin a sinister smile. "On the contrary, Lupin, it seems that you have learned nothing from our past encounter." He raised his wand and began chanting an incantation.

"Hey!" Lupin protested. "That's cheating!"

Snape didn't bother to dignify that remark with a response. Theodore and Dylan bolted for cover as a huge pile of snow slid off the roof of the mansion and buried the werewolf beneath it. Snape smiled smugly at the mound of snow, but when Lupin didn't immediately emerge from it, the boys approached, looking worried.

"Remus?" Theodore called. "Are you all right?"

"Do you think he was knocked unconscious?" Dylan asked anxiously. "Maybe we should dig him out."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Snape cautioned, but it was too late. As boys knelt down to dig at the pile of snow, Lupin's arms suddenly shot out, grabbed the startled boys, and pulled them down into the snow with him. Snape sighed and shook his head. "You ought to be ashamed," he said, "letting a Gryffindor trick you so easily!" The boys sat up, wiping snow from their faces, and grinned sheepishly. "Well, he is rather sneaky for a Gryffindor," Snape conceded.

Lupin jumped up and shook himself off, rather like a dog--or wolf. "You shouldn't scold them, Severus," he laughed. "After all, you fell for that trick easily enough when we were boys!"

"I was young and foolish then," Snape said. He sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "I see that I shall have to come down and lend Mr. Rosier and Mr. Snape the benefit of my years of accumulated wisdom and experience."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Lupin protested indignantly. "You were supposed to be helping ME!"

Snape grinned at him wickedly. "It seems that the boys need my help more. Besides, do you honestly expect me to side against my own House?" He stepped away from the window, ignoring Lupin's continued protests, which could barely be heard over the boys' laughter, and paused only long enough to throw on a cloak and pull on a pair of gloves before Apparating down to join his lover and sons on the lawn.

Lupin fought bravely, like a good Gryffindor, but was no match for three Slytherins, and soon found himself buried under a merciless onslaught of snowballs. "Enough!" he laughed, spitting snow out of his mouth; he was covered with so much snow that he was barely recognizable, with just a few patches of black robe and brown hair showing beneath a thick layer of white. "I give up! I cry mercy!"

"Slytherins have no mercy," Snape informed him with a wicked grin, but nevertheless broke off his attack, and the boys came over to help Lupin dust the snow off his robes. The werewolf shook himself off vigorously once more, splattering Theodore and Dylan in the process.

"Hey!" Dylan protested with a laugh, throwing up an arm to ward off the spray of snow.

"It's worse than having a pet dog," Snape grumbled good-naturedly.

The snowball fight had been quite strenuous, and by now everyone was ready to move on to the more sedate task of snowman-building, although Lupin insisted, over Snape's complaints, that they do it by hand instead of using magic. "What's the point, otherwise?" Lupin asked.

"What's the point in doing unnecessary work?" Snape retorted, but gave in and helped build the snowman, enjoying himself immensely even though he complained loudly the entire time. With the four of them working together, it didn't really take that much effort to build a small snowman, with charcoal eyes and mouth, a carrot nose, and the green scarf wrapped around its neck. Inspired, Dylan and Theodore decided to sculpt a snow-snake next, curved in an "S" shape beside the snowman. They used two pieces of leftover charcoal for the eyes, and Dylan, catching sight of a small, forked twig lying on the ground, had a sudden flash of inspiration and used it as the snake's tongue.

"Very artistic, Mr. Rosier," Snape said approvingly. "Remind me to give Slytherin five extra points when we go back to school."

The boys grinned proudly at each other, and Lupin shaded his eyes with one hand as he looked up towards the sun. "I think it's almost lunchtime," he said. "We'd better go in and get cleaned up before Lady Selima scolds us for being late."

 

Part 82