The Revenant, Chapter 7

by Geri ([email protected])

My homepage: http://www.geocities.com/geri_chans_fics/index.html

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Snape/Lupin

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except for Hob, who belongs to William Mayne, and Death, who belongs to Neil Gaiman; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

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, Phoenix Rising, and Aftermaths.

Summary: Snape, Lupin, and the boys enjoy a summer vacation that starts off as quiet and uneventful, but does not remain so for long.
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Chapter 7: A Visit from an Old Friend

Lupin, Snape, and the boys moved back into Lupin's little cottage after school let out. Both the house and garden had been left untended all year, and required some work to set things back in order. The task was made slightly more difficult by Cabal, who got underfoot as he investigated his new home, sniffing curiously, then sneezing as a cleaning spell stirred up a cloud of dust.

"Will someone take that mutt outside?" Snape asked irritably.

"C'mon, boy," Dylan said. "Let's go work in the garden." So Dylan and Theodore took Cabal outside with them, and when they began digging up weeds in the garden, Cabal eagerly joined in.

Theodore laughed. "You know, he could be helpful if we could teach him the difference between weeds and herbs."

"I guess it doesn't really matter if the garden gets wrecked," Dylan pointed out. "We're only going to be here for a couple of weeks."

"Yes," Snape drawled as he and Lupin joined them outside, "but you shouldn't allow him to get in the habit of destroying gardens. My mother will have a fit if he digs up the flower beds at Snape Manor."

Cabal looked up from his digging, face and paws covered with dirt, and barked happily at them. Lupin sighed, "Training Cabal may take a little more time than I thought."

But when he called Cabal away from the garden, the dog came to him obediently, though with obvious reluctance. "Good boy!" Lupin praised, rewarding his pet with a dog biscuit and a good scratch behind the ears. Having been scratched behind the ears many times himself in wolf form, he knew exactly how it should be done.

They had only been at the cottage for a couple of days when Snape received a message from a wizard named Tremayne, the foremost expert in Ancient Runes in the wizarding world. Snape had been trying for some time to get him to accept Theodore as an apprentice, but the Runes Master was crotchety and reclusive, and said he was too old and tired to go through the bother of training another apprentice.

"An archaeological dig has unearthed the ruins of a tower belonging to an ancient wizard-prince in Ireland," Snape announced, smiling triumphantly as he held up Tremayne's letter. "It's quite an important discovery, and there are a number of runes carved on the walls and inscribed in books and scrolls, so they've called in Tremayne to translate them. The scope of the work is such that he'll need an assistant to help him, so he has agreed to take Theodore on in that capacity."

"Really?" Theodore asked eagerly.

Snape nodded. "He didn't really want another apprentice, of course, but he needs the help, and Professor Driscoll gave you a stellar recommendation, so he's agreed to take you on a conditional basis. The work will likely be boring and tedious at first; you'll mainly be running errands and acting as a scribe, but that's how every new apprentice starts out. And Tremayne is a cantankerous old man, but you must always be obedient and respectful no matter how rude he is to you; he'll send you packing at the first sign of insolence. But as ill-tempered as he is, you will learn far more from him than any other scholar I could apprentice you to."

Theodore smiled; as a Slytherin, he already had a great deal of experience in being polite to his ill-tempered and imperious Head of House. He doubted that Tremayne could be anywhere near as intimidating as Snape. "Yes, Father," was all he said. "I promise to be a good apprentice, and accord Master Tremayne the respect due to him."

"When will Theo be leaving?" Lupin asked.

"Tremayne wants you there as soon as possible," Snape told his son. "So start packing your bags. You'll take the Floo to Tremayne's house, and the archaeological team will conduct the two of you to the dig site."

"So soon?" Lupin asked, sounding a little dismayed. "We won't even have time to throw a farewell party for him!"

"Lady Selima will have to postpone his graduation party, too," Dylan chimed in.

"This is an opportunity too good for him to pass up," Snape said. "We can have a party for him when he comes back. Mother will be a little put out, but she'll understand that he can't turn down such a prestigious apprenticeship. I imagine that Tremayne will keep you very busy for the next few weeks, Theodore, but once most of the initial translation has been completed, you should be able to come back home for a short visit. Of course we'll be hoping that Tremayne will keep you on even after the dig is over."

"I'll work hard, Father," Theodore promised. "I'll miss all of you, but I want to earn my Master's certification. I'll write to you when I can."

"Good," Snape said. "Now you had better start packing."

Lupin called Blaise and Selima so that they could say goodbye to Theodore before he left, and they immediately took the Floo over to the cottage. Theodore quickly packed, then hugged his family and kissed his lover goodbye.

"Remember to uphold the honor of the Snape family," Selima said sternly, but she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, Grandmother," Theodore said obediently.

"I'll miss you," Blaise said, giving him one last kiss. "But it's a great opportunity for you. Write to me."

"I will," Theodore said, hugging him. Then he hugged Dylan, and Lupin, who sniffled a little, wiping a tear from his eyes, and finally Snape, who gruffly said, "Take care, son." Then Theodore patted Cabal on the head and stepped through the Floo.

Awaiting him was a stern-looking old wizard with a mane of shaggy, untidy-looking silver hair, dressed in robes that were faded and years out of fashion. The house was filled with expensive furnishings, but was dusty and in a state of disarray. Theodore knew that Tremayne was at least moderately wealthy, so he suspected that the state of the Runes Master's house and dress was due to his disinterest in anything but his studies rather than a lack of funds.

Tremayne frowned at Theodore, looking him over with a critical and appraising expression on his face, much the same way that Snape regarded each new first-year Potions class. Without warning, he bluntly said, "So your father's caused quite a stir in the wizarding world, taking up with that werewolf, hasn't he? I never dreamed that a Snape would behave in such an outrageous manner."

Theodore bristled at the comment, but mindful of his father's warning, kept his temper under control and said nothing. He bowed his head to hide his anger, then glanced up and was startled to see a faint glint of amusement in Tremayne's eyes. So...perhaps Tremayne was deliberately baiting him, as a test.

"Yes, sir," Theodore replied in a tone of utmost respect. "Grandmother says that they have caused quite a scandal. But I think that Professor Lupin enjoys being scandalous. He is a Gryffindor, after all."

Tremayne made a noise that might have been either a snort or a laugh, and his stern expression eased slightly. "Well, your father's choice of bed partners makes no difference to me. All I care about is your skill with runes, and your Ancient Runes Professor says that you are his best student."

Theodore bowed and said, "Yes, sir, but I know that I still have much to learn. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve you, Master Tremayne."

Tremayne snorted again. "Well, you have better manners than your father, at least."

"I beg the Master's pardon, but my father is able to be polite when he deems it necessary," Theodore said, still in that flawlessly courteous voice. "It is just that the necessity rarely seems to arise."

Tremayne almost smiled for a moment, then he said briskly, "Well, enough of exchanging pleasantries. Are you ready to get to work, Mr. Snape?"

"Yes, sir," Theodore said with a smile. He didn't think that working for Tremayne was going to be so bad, after all.
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The next day, Lupin was melancholy and moped around the house all morning. "Do you think this is what a mother bird feels like when her chicks leave the nest?" he sighed over lunch.

"It's not like he'll be gone forever, Remus," Dylan pointed out. "It's only temporary."

"It is the natural order of things for children to grow up and move out on their own," Snape said gruffly.

"But you came back home to Snape Manor," Lupin said, smiling at him fondly.

"Things are a little different for a pureblood heir," Snape said irritably. "At least you may rest assured that Theodore will eventually return to Snape Manor after he completes his apprenticeship."

"How long will that take?" Lupin asked.

"The dig, or at least Tremayne's and Theodore's role in it, will likely last a few months," Snape replied. "As for how long it will take Theodore to earn his Master's certification...that depends on how fast he learns, and how pleased Tremayne is with his progress. If he does extremely well, he could finish in as soon as a year. Less gifted students normally take two or three to complete their education."

"A year or more?!" Lupin cried, and Cabal whined, picking up on his master's distress.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Lupin, there's no need to get hysterical over it!" Snape snapped. "He'll come home to visit. It's not as if you won't see him at all for an entire year."

"But will Tremayne let him come home?" Lupin asked. "You make him sound like such an ogre."

"He's a hard taskmaster, but he's not unfair," Snape said. "If Theodore works hard, Tremayne will allow him to come home for holidays and the occasional weekend. And if he doesn't work hard, Tremayne won't keep him on as an apprentice."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Dylan said.

"I concur," Snape agreed. "And all else aside, Tremayne is a recluse; he isn't used to sharing his home with someone else, no matter how hard-working and well-behaved they might be. He'll send Theodore home from time to time, if only to get a little privacy. So stop worrying, Lupin."

Then Lupin smiled at him and cooed, "Oh, Severus, I know you're only acting grumpy because you miss him, too."

Snape's face turned red and he blustered, "I don't know what you're talking about, Lupin! If I'm acting 'grumpy,' as you put it, it's only because you're behaving like an idiot!"

"I love you, too, Sev," Lupin said, leaning over to kiss Snape on the cheek and nuzzle him affectionately as the Potions Master continued to splutter and protest.

Dylan decided that it would be a good idea to give his parents some time alone to comfort each other. He knew that Snape really did miss Theo, despite his bluster. Chuckling softly, Dylan rose from his seat, wrapped a couple of sandwiches in a napkin, and went to get Cabal's leash. "I'm going to take the dog for a walk; is that okay?"

"I think that's a very good idea, Dylan," Lupin purred, without looking up. "A big dog like Cabal needs a lot of exercise, so I think you should him for a long walk."

"Come on, boy," Dylan called, and Cabal jumped up and ran after him eagerly, although it wasn't quite clear whether it was the sandwiches or the prospect of a walk which interested him.

Dylan gave one of the sandwiches to Cabal and munched on the remaining one himself as they ambled away from the cottage at a leisurely pace. "I might almost suspect that Remus adopted you as an excuse to get some privacy," he told the dog. "Anytime he wants to be alone with the Professor, all he has to do is say, 'Take the dog for a walk.' Of course, we also have Blodwen and Kiseki, but you can't really take an owl or a pet rat for a walk."

Cabal barked happily and wagged his tail, as if agreeing with Dylan. Then he suddenly came to a halt and began to growl.

"What is it, boy?" Dylan asked, automatically tensing and reaching for his wand, then he relaxed and let his hand fall to his side as a familiar figure approached him. "Oh, it's you, Harry," he said. "You startled me; we weren't expecting company today. Have you come to see Remus? You might want to wait a bit before you go in. He and the Professor are...er...a little busy right now, if you know what I mean."

But then "Harry" smiled in a rather nasty way, and as he drew closer, Dylan could see that his eyes were hazel, not green, and that he looked a little older than Harry. "Actually, it was Snape that I was looking for, Dylan. But how very convenient it is that I happened to run into you first."

"Wh...who are you?" Dylan stammered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the Harry doppleganger said, and raised his wand.
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Lupin and Snape were just starting to get undressed when they heard loud barking and a scraping sound, like that of a dog clawing at the front door. They could both hear the frantic note in Cabal's voice, and Snape didn't waste any time grumbling about Lupin needing to train the mutt not to bark. They both pulled out their wands and ran for the door, their robes and shirts still hanging open.

They immediately saw that there was large singe mark on Cabal's side, the fur burned away to leave a streak of charred flesh--a wound obviously inflicted by a hostile spell. The dog ignored the wound, though, barking and whining urgently.

"Where's Dylan, boy?" Lupin asked. "Take us to him!"

"No need, Moony," said a very familiar voice. "He's right here." And Lupin turned to see a man holding up a half-conscious Dylan who was bound in magical black ropes; the man had a wand pointed at Dylan.

Lupin's face turned pale, because the enemy wizard wore the face of one of his best friends. "James?" Lupin whispered.

"Of course he's not James, you idiot!" Snape snarled, his temper sharpened by fear. "James Potter is dead! Finite Incantatum!"

But the illusion, if it was one, was not dispelled. James just laughed and said, "You won't get rid of me that easily, Snape! I can't be banished by a simple Finite Incantatum spell!"

"STUPEFY!" Snape shouted, ruthlessly hurling the spell at James even though he was holding Dylan in front of him as a shield. Snape knew that the spell would only knock Dylan unconscious, not harm him. It was absolutely imperative to take out the impostor; he could apologize to Dylan later, after everyone was safe.

But James shouted, "Protego!" and the Stupefy spell bounced off the Shield Charm harmlessly. "Lower your wands if you want Evan's brat to live, both of you! I can kill him before you touch me!"

"Now I know that you're not James," Lupin said angrily. "James would never have threatened an innocent boy or used him as a hostage."

James laughed bitterly. "Innocent? Can the son of a Death Eater really be innocent? I watched you in the television, boy. You wanted to become a Death Eater like your daddy until you had a change of heart when they showed their true colors to you." Dylan just stared at him in confusion and fear.

"Television?" Lupin murmured, a puzzled frown creasing his forehead.

Snape ignored the babblings of the impostor, which made no sense to him. It was quite possible that the wizard was mad, but he didn't really care whether "James" was sane or not; all that mattered was that he was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He raised his wand, hoping that he could strike while the impostor was busy talking to Lupin and Dylan.

But James was too quick for him. "CRUCIO!" he cried, and Dylan screamed as his body convulsed in pain.

"I'll kill you, Potter!" Snape shouted, momentarily forgetting that the intruder couldn't possibly be James Potter. Both he and Lupin attacked, but James was able to deflect their spells.

"Back off!" James snarled. "Or the next spell I cast will be a Killing Curse!"

Lupin and Snape slowly lowered their wands and cautiously backed away a few steps.

"Who are you?" Lupin asked quietly. "What do you want? Please--if you need a hostage, take me instead."

"Lupin!" Snape protested.

Lupin ignored him, slowly walking forward. "If you wish revenge for the fallen Death Eaters, I am the one you should take. I was an original member of the Order of the Phoenix. If it is Severus you wish to hurt, then nothing could hurt him more than the loss of his lover, his beloved pet werewolf. Take me, but let Dylan go."

"R...Remus...no," Dylan whispered, struggling to get the words out.

"You see what you've done?!" James shouted at Snape. "You've turned them all against me--Moony, Padfoot, even my own son!"

The anger and suspicion in Snape's eyes slowly turned to confusion. "I think that he really believes that he's James Potter," Snape whispered to Lupin.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" James snapped. "And I AM James Potter!" He gave Lupin a pleading look. "Moony, you've got to believe me! I know it sounds crazy, but it's me, Prongs! I couldn't move on after I died; I stayed behind to watch over Harry!"

"Then tell me something only James would know," Lupin said skeptically.

"I know that Snape used to wear gray underpants," James said, sneering at Snape, who turned red and glared at him murderously. His hand clenched more tightly around his wand, trembling slightly with rage, and it was clear that Dylan's safety was the only thing holding him back from attacking James.

"Half the school saw that nasty little prank," Lupin said coldly. "You'll have to do better than that."

"We figured out by second year that you were a werewolf," James said. "But it wasn't until the beginning of our fifth year that we were able to master the Animagus spells."

Snape gave Lupin a questioning look, and Lupin hesitantly said, "That's right..."

"You came home with me for Christmas during third year," James continued. "I showed you the rock where Sirius and I used to play Merlin and Arthur. We used magic to create two snow sculptures--a lion fighting a serpent."

"Is that true?" Snape asked Lupin.

Lupin nodded, turning a little pale. "No one could have known that but us," he whispered.

"Pettigrew accompanied you and Black to Potter's house that year," Snape reminded him. He had spied on Lupin so obsessively as a child that he still remembered small details like that more than two decades later. "The rat could have mentioned it to some of the other Death Eaters."

"In fifth year, you carved a wooden stag for me for my Christmas present," James added. "I gave you a copy of 'Quidditch Through the Ages'. For your birthday present that year I got you a new bookbag because your old one was falling apart. Along with a box of Bertie Bott's beans."

"That's true," Lupin whispered. "It's true that Peter would have known these things too, but would he really have passed on all these bits of trivia to the Death Eaters? What would be the point of that?"

"Perhaps exactly for the purpose of impersonating one of you," Snape replied. "It certainly seems more believable to me than Potter returning from the dead!"

"Damn it, Moony, I'm telling you the truth!" James cried in frustration. "Ask me anything you like, anything that would prove to you that I'm me!"

"My friend James would never have cast a Cruciatus Curse on anyone, not even an enemy!" Lupin shouted. "James would never have hurt my son!"

"The Moony I remembered would not have betrayed his friends by adopting a Death Eater's son!" James retorted. "Or by taking a Death Eater into his bed!"

While James was arguing with Snape and Lupin, Cabal took the opportunity to sneak up behind him while he was distracted. And suddenly James cried out in pain as the dog sank its teeth into his leg.

"You mangy mutt!" James screamed. He kicked at the dog, then hit it with a spell that sent it flying through the air until it struck a nearby tree. Cabal fell to the ground, whimpered once, then lay still.

Meanwhile, Snape pointed his wand at James and shouted, "Stupefy!" while Lupin simultaneously shouted, "Aperio Veritas! Reveal your true form!"

James screamed, and his form seemed to blur and waver, his tall, thin build slowly melting into one shorter and stouter. Dylan fell limp in his captor's arm, but James remained conscious--only it was no longer James standing before him.

Rabastan Lestrange stared at Snape with desperate, pleading eyes. "Please help me, Severus!" he begged. "Get him out of my head!"

Snape just stared at Rabastan in shock. He would have expected his former comrade to be out for his blood if they ever crossed paths again, not begging for his help. "Get whom out of your head?" he asked.

"Potter, of course, you idiot!" Rabastan screamed. "I was using a Necromantic spell to try to contact Rodolphus and Bellatrix, and I touched Potter's mind by accident! I tried to bind his spirit to my will, but he overwhelmed me and took over my mind and body! Please, Severus, I would rather go to Azkaban than be a prisoner in my own--" His words dissolved into an anguished, despairing wail, and then his body once again resumed the form of James Potter.

"It's poetic justice, don't you think?" James laughed, his hazel eyes glittering madly. "Voldemort killed me, but one of his servants gave me the means by which to return to life."

"James," Lupin whispered, his eyes filled with horror. He finally believed that he really was speaking to his old friend, although he profoundly wished that he didn't. "James, you always abhorred Dark Magic. Using Necromancy to possess someone and come back from the dead is purest evil."

"Lestrange summoned me, not the other way around!" James snarled. "He intended to enslave me, so I feel no guilt about turning the tables on him!"

"But why have you remained behind, James?" Lupin cried. "You said that you were watching over Harry, but Voldemort has been dead for more than a year, and Harry is safe and doing well. Why is your soul not at peace, Prongs?"

"How can it be at peace when that Slytherin bastard has turned my son and friends against me?!" James shouted.

"He's done nothing of the sort!" Lupin protested.

"There's no point in arguing with a madman, Lupin," Snape said softly, his black eyes staring intently at James, searching for an opening, for a drop in the other's man's guard, waiting for the opportunity to attack.

Lupin ignored Snape and continued to plead with his friend, "I love Severus, but that doesn't mean that I've betrayed you, James! I admit that it grieved me that you and Sirius were always at odds with Severus, but the two of you have always been my dearest friends. I have always been grateful for your friendship and loyalty, even if I didn't always agree with you. And Harry--he's grown into a fine young man, James, one that you should be proud of. He loves you very much. I don't see how you can say that Severus turned him against you; even though they've set aside their animosity, I would hardly say that they're close friends."

Lupin had thought that Dylan had been knocked unconscious, but either he had not suffered the full effect of the Stupefy spell, or it was beginning to wear off, because he said in a slurred voice, "Harry loves you, Mr. Potter. We talked one day, about how much we both loved our fathers."

"Don't compare me to Evan Rosier, you brat!" James snapped, then turned back to Lupin. "And don't play dumb with me, Moony! I know all about the scene that Harry saw in the Pensieve, and how my dear best friends told him that his father wasn't really such a bad guy even though he was a prejudiced, immature idiot."

Lupin stared at him dumbfounded, stunned into silence.

"He doesn't want me as his father anymore!" James screamed hysterically. "He's replaced me with Sirius!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Potter," Snape said contemptuously. "You've hung around all this time just because you're upset that your son saw what a bully you were in school? Only a Gryffindor could be so melodramatic. So Harry saw that you weren't perfect; so what? Most children are able to figure out that their parents aren't perfect well before their teens."

James pointed his wand at Snape, and Lupin cried, "No, James!" and immediately leaped in front of Snape, flinging his arms out wide, interposing himself between them like a living shield.

"It's obvious where your loyalties lie, Remus," James said accusingly. "You stole my son, Snape; now I'm stealing yours. You can have Dylan back when you return Harry to me. I'll contact you with the time and place later."

"James, wait!" Lupin screamed, and Snape pushed him aside, shouting, "Potter!" They both hurled spells at James, but it was too late. James had already Disapparated, along with Dylan, by the time the spells reached the spot where he had been standing.

Lupin and Snape just stood there for a few moments, staring in horrified disbelief at the empty patch of ground where James and Dylan had been. Then Snape forced himself to snap out of his state of shock. "Lupin!"

"Dylan," Lupin whispered, a dazed, stricken look on his face. "He took Dylan..."

Snape grabbed Lupin by the shoulders and shook him. "Lupin, we don't have time for this!" he shouted.

Lupin blinked, and his blue eyes seemed to come into focus again. "You're right, Severus. What should we do?"

"You contact Black and Branwen, and try to get hold of Dumbledore. He's on vacation, but McGonagall might know where he went. I'm going to Ireland to bring Theodore back, in case Potter decides to go after him, too. I'll meet you at Snape Manor; obviously the cottage isn't safe anymore. Tell my mother to reinforce the wards on the estate."

"I will, Severus," Lupin said. "Be careful."

"You too," Snape said solemnly. "Potter may have been your friend once, but he's obviously no longer sane, and he might regard you as a traitor and an enemy. And don't forget that Rabastan Lestrange is still in there, even if Potter is controlling his body."

"Yes, Severus," Lupin said, tears forming in his eyes. "Go quickly, and bring Theo back home." Snape nodded and Disapparated. Lupin went over to check on Cabal, and to his relief, the dog stirred, lifted his head weakly, and whined. "Thank Merlin you're still alive," Lupin whispered, and Cabal licked his hand. Lupin gathered the dog up in his arms and went back into the cottage to contact Branwen, Sirius, and Harry, although he had no idea how he was going to break the news to Harry that his father had returned from the dead as a vengeful spirit.

Chapter 8

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