FIC: Aftermaths, Part 62

[geri_chan]

I took a break for the holidays, but now I'm resuming re-posting of my old Snupin fics...

Title: Aftermaths, Part 62
Rating: NC-17 overall, but most chapters are closer to PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin, Theodore/Blaise, and a few other minor pairings
Word count: ~8,600
Warning: AU; written pre-HBP
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising
Summary: Dylan is hurt by the Longbottoms' reaction; Tonks and Kingsley meet a werewolf informant.

Part 61 (Previous chapters can be found under the aftermaths tag.)

***

Meanwhile, Dylan's friends were trying to comfort him. "Who cares what they think?" Damien said scornfully. "They just got out of the looney bin, after all!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it the looney bin," Hermione said disapprovingly. "But he's right that they did just get out of St. Mungo's last summer. It's almost like they weren't living in this world for the past fifteen or sixteen years, sort of like Professor Blackmore. It's as if they jumped ahead in time. So they don't know you, or about how you fought the Death Eaters, Dylan, or how the different Houses had to learn how to work with each other. Well, I'm sure they read about it in the Daily Prophet, but reading about it and actually seeing and experiencing it are two different things..."

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Dylan said curtly. "I don't care what they think."

"I would have thought Neville's parents would be nicer," Parvati said disdainfully.

"Well, I'm sure they'll like you once they get to know you," Hermione said uncertainly.

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Dylan said bitterly. "To some people, I'll never be anything but 'that Death Eater's son.' And the Longbottoms were Aurors; they might even have fought with my father during the first war. I suppose it's no surprise that they look at me like...like I'm a monster or something."

"But Professor Blackmore was an Auror, and she likes you!" Hermione protested. "She even cared about your dad, even if she didn't approve of what he did. Sirius too, and Tonks--"

Hermione seemed even more distraught than Dylan felt, so he slipped an arm around her and said, "It's okay, Hermione, really. I know I can't make everyone like me." And somehow, her concern did make him feel a little better. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he took comfort in the warmth of her body pressed close against his.

"I hate it that people can't let go of the past," Hermione said unhappily.

"I know, me too," Dylan sighed. "But I guess the people who really matter know the truth, and that's what's important. Professor Snape's and Remus's opinions mean a lot more to me than the Longbottoms'."

Filch happened to walk down the corridor just then, and scowled at the embracing couple. "Here now, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves, carrying on in public like that!"

Dylan and Hermione quickly separated, and Hermione murmured, "Sorry, sir."

Damien said cheerfully, "Next time, we'll be sure to do any carrying on in private!"

"Cheeky brat!" Filch growled, then muttered darkly about how much better things were in the old days, when they had been allowed to whip the students.

The two couples hurried on their way, their mood lifted slightly by Damien's mischief. "Anyway, you shouldn't care what crazy people think about you," Damien told his friend.

"They're not crazy," Hermione protested. "At least, not anymore."

"Just prejudiced," Parvati said. "Like that stupid Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke."

Damien was silent for a long moment, looking unusually thoughtful and serious. "You know, I think Slytherins adapt to change better than Gryffindors," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously.

"You Gryffindors have a pretty narrow view of the world," Damien explained. "Black and white, good and evil, right and wrong." Parvati pouted, and Damien smiled. "Present company excepted, of course. You do what you think is right, you're loyal to your friends, and you're implacable foes to your enemies. But you see, we Slytherins have less morals. We don't worry so much about right and wrong, we just concentrate on surviving and coming out ahead. If we have to, we'll change sides and ally with people we hate, if that's what it takes to survive. How else do you think Lucius Malfoy and his friends managed to not only stay out of prison, but wind up with cushy Ministry jobs after the first war?"

"I think you have more morals than you like to admit," Hermione pointed out. "You were loyal to Dylan; you even risked your life fighting the Death Eaters to protect him."

Damien grinned. "Ah well, I guess I'm not such a good Slytherin after all, then! But anyway, my point is, the Longbottoms thought they knew who the enemy was, and now they're having trouble adapting even though they know that things have changed."

"Hmm, that's rather insightful of you, Damien," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure that I completely agree with you, but you make an interesting point."

Parvati was still pouting a little. "Well, I think that Gryffindors are more adaptable than you think. After all, I'm dating you, aren't I?"

"Well, the Gryffindor girls are certainly much more intelligent and mature than the boys are," Damien said smoothly, and Parvati smiled, looking pacified.

"Well, I think things are changing," Hermione said firmly. "After all, just a few years ago, it would have been impossible for all of us to be friends. The older generation, like the Longbottoms, might have trouble accepting change, but the younger students like Allegra are getting used to having friends in different Houses." She smiled hopefully at Dylan. "Maybe in a few years, people won't automatically think of Gryffindors and Slytherins as enemies."

Dylan thought she was being overly optimistic, but she was right in that they had come a long way in a short time. Last year at this time, he had been a reluctant Death Eater, and had been forced to keep his feelings for Hermione secret for their own safety. Now they could walk through the halls holding hands with no fear of anything but a reprimand from Filch. He reached out and clasped her hand, and she laced her fingers through his and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Why don't we go hang out in the common room?" he suggested as they headed towards the dungeon.

"Is that really okay?" Parvati asked eagerly. Even though she was dating Damien, and was friends with Millicent and Pansy, she had never actually been in the Slytherin dorm yet.

"Sure," Dylan said lightly, smiling at Hermione. "We ought to set a good example of inter-House cooperation for future generations."

"Malfoy won't mind?" Parvati asked.

"Malfoy isn't the king of Slytherin anymore," Damien replied carelessly.

"Besides," Dylan added, "Snape's already a set a precedent by allowing Lupin into the dorm."

"Well, but Lupin's sort of an honorary Slytherin," Damien said.

When the foursome entered the dorm, a few of the Slytherins raised their eyebrows, and Malfoy scowled fiercely, but no one said anything in protest. Parvati looked around the room eagerly, then said, sounding a little disappointed, "It's nice, a little more luxurious than our common room, but..."

"What, were you expecting to see chains hanging from the walls?" Damien joked. "Or maybe a torture chamber?"

"You'd have to go to Filch's office for that," Dylan said, and they all laughed.

***

Draco watched as Damien and Dylan sat with their girlfriends in front of the fireplace, casually talking and laughing, and were soon joined by Millicent and Pansy. It filled him with an unexpected sense of fury, not so much because he disapproved of the Gryffindor girls, but because Damien and Dylan had not bothered to ask for his permission to bring them here. It was a bitter reminder of the fact that he no longer held any authority in Slytherin House. He was no longer a Malfoy, someone to be admired and feared, but a nobody, and suddenly, he almost hated his two friends for reminding him of that. He stalked off to his room so that he wouldn't have to look at them and be reminded of his humiliation.

***

On his way to his room, Draco brushed past Theodore and Blaise without a word, and the two boys gave him puzzled looks. When they reached the common room and saw Parvati and Hermione, Theodore said with a grin, "Ah, no wonder Draco's in such a snit--Gryffindors in the common room. What is the world coming to these days?"

Pansy tossed back her hair and said, "It's no big deal. Zabini's sister has been here before, and so has Professor Lupin, so they're hardly the first Gryffindors to enter the dorm."

"So will you be bringing Finch-Fletchley by, then?" Theodore teased.

"Maybe," Pansy said.

"Salazar Slytherin must be rolling over in his grave!" Theodore laughed. He and Blaise joined their friends, and no one took Draco's displeasure seriously. He had changed a great deal since the war ended, but he still had a bit of pureblood snobbishness in him, and they assumed that it was nothing more serious than his Slytherin sensibilities being offended. They figured that eventually it would blow over and he would forget about his bad mood. In any case, they forgot about Draco when Damien and Dylan told them what had happened with the Longbottoms. Theodore was very indignant about the slight to his brother, but Dylan tried to brush it off.

"Maybe I'm overreacting," he said. "They didn't actually say anything. It was just the way that they looked at me..."

"I know those kinds of looks," Theodore said grimly. "It's the kind of look that says, 'Why aren't you locked up in Azkaban with the other Death Eaters?'"

"Please, let's just forget about it," Dylan said, looking uncomfortable. "It's not like I'll be spending much time with the Longbottoms, anyway. I only ran into them because they stopped by to see Neville. And we were only talking to Neville because of Lisa's apprenticeship."

"But they were friends of Professor Lupin's, weren't they?" Hermione asked. "At least, they were all in the Order of the Phoenix together. Maybe you should ask the Professor to talk to them--"

"No!" Dylan said adamantly, shaking his head. "It wouldn't accomplish anything except to make Remus feel bad. Anyway, I'm used to people hating me because of who my father is. I can live with it."

"Are you sure, Dylan?" Hermione asked, still looking worried.

"Sure," Dylan said, although it did hurt more than he expected. He wasn't sure why the opinion of strangers should matter so much; maybe it was because it was a reminder that he would never escape his father's reputation even after the war had ended and he had publicly proved his loyalty by fighting the Death Eaters. And maybe this was justice; maybe he deserved this punishment because he had once sincerely wanted to join the Death Eaters, and because he still loved his father in spite of all the terrible things he had done.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione said softly, gently stroking his cheek.

"Yes," Dylan said, feeling much more confident of his response this time, and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. After all, he reminded himself, he was surrounded by people he loved--his friends, his brother, Snape and Lupin, Hermione, and of course there were Uncle Math, Aunt Goewin, and Ariana back in Wales. He decided that it didn't matter if a few ignorant people still hated him. Damien was right; Slytherins were adaptable, and Dylan would survive this. The bigots couldn't even do anything to affect his career, since Mr. Jigger had already promised him the Apothecary shop. He would graduate from school, get his Master's qualification, run the shop with Hermione, and live happily ever after. Well, Slytherins didn't really believe in things like "happily ever after," but Dylan's future seemed assured, and he could think of nothing that would make him happier than living and working with Hermione--with plenty of frequent visits to Snape Manor and the cottage in the woods to see his parents and brother, of course.

So he said nothing to Lupin or Snape about it, figuring that it wasn't worth making Lupin feel sad over such a minor incident. And telling Snape would only make the Potions Master go into a rage; he would probably confront the Longbottoms and take out his anger on poor Neville in Potions class, which would only prolong the trouble and make Lupin feel even worse.

***

Lupin didn't know that Frank and Alice had run into Dylan, so he said nothing to his sons about his meeting with the Longbottoms, figuring that there was no point in making the boys feel bad when they already encountered enough bigotry as it was.

Neither did he tell Snape the entire truth, since like Dylan, he suspected that Neville would be the one that Snape took out his anger on. Lupin loved Snape dearly, but that did not blind him to his lover's faults and biases.

So when they were alone in their quarters that evening and Snape asked what the Longbottoms had wanted, Lupin replied, "Oh, nothing really. They just wanted to check on Neville. Like most of the parents, they're a little worried about all these 'pranks,' and it's not surprising that they're a little overprotective of him. I suspect they're trying to make up for lost time."

"It's too bad that they missed out on his childhood, but the boy is too old to be coddled," Snape said sourly. "They'll just have to learn to accept that he's nearly an adult."

"Are Theo and Dylan too old to be tucked into bed?" Lupin asked with a mischievous smile, and Snape's face turned bright red.

"I'm not...that is...I was only..." Snape spluttered, then took a deep breath and managed to regain control of his dignity. "That's completely different, Lupin!" Snape declared emphatically, if not very logically, and glared at his lover.

Lupin just chuckled. "By the way, Sev, what did you want to talk about this afternoon, when you stopped by my office?"

Snape's face turned red again. "Er...nothing really. I just thought you might...that is...well..." Lupin raised his eyebrows, and Snape growled, "Oh, blast it! I thought you might want to have sex, all right? It's been awhile since you've jumped me in my office, and I don't want your werewolf hormones raging out of control."

"Why, how thoughtful of you, Severus!" Lupin laughed, and began unfastening his robes. "You know, as a matter of fact, I am feeling a bit hormonal right now..."

So Lupin temporarily forgot about the Longbottoms, and to all outward appearances, life went on smoothly at Hogwarts, with none of the teachers or students completely aware of all the tensions, hurt feelings, and resentments that were simmering just below the surface.

***

Kingsley and Tonks met with their informant in a seedy bar in Knockturn Alley. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but his dark brown hair was going prematurely gray, much like Lupin's. He scowled at the two Aurors suspiciously, which in combination with his shabby, patched robes and a long scar running diagonally across the left side of his face from his temple to his jaw, made him look quite sinister. Which made him seem right at home, since just about everyone in Knockturn Alley looked sinister.

"I'm Tonks, and this is Kingsley," Tonks said. "And you must be Ash. Thanks for meeting with us."

"Let's cut the pleasantries, shall we?" Ash said curtly. "I'm only here because Lukas ordered me to come. I'm not very fond of officers of the law, for obvious reasons."

"We're Aurors," Kingsley said patiently. "Our job is to track down Dark Wizards. As long as you aren't dealing in Dark Magic items, we don't care if you happen to be moving a little Muggle contraband."

"I hope so," Ash said, still scowling. "Because you gave my pack leader your word that you wouldn't arrest me, and it's a very bad idea to betray a werewolf." Tonks was having a difficult time tearing her eyes away from the werewolf's scar, and Ash snapped, "And what are you looking at?"

"Sorry," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to stare; it's just that I thought werewolves healed wounds too fast to develop scars."

Ash rubbed his scar in what seemed to be an almost unconscious reaction, and growled, "I got this before I was bitten, you stupid girl."

"There's no need for name-calling," Kingsley said indignantly, but Tonks cut him off.

"Never mind, I was the one who was rude. Shall we get down to business?"

"Fine," Ash said, appearing slightly mollified. "The sooner we get this over with, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

"So you do sell Muggle technology to wizards?" Tonks asked.

Ash nodded. "Lukas said you're looking for someone who bought a tape recorder? They're not actually illegal, but a lot of young wizards don't want to buy things like that openly because their parents wouldn't approve. You know, the snooty pureblood types who don't want to soil their hands with anything Muggle."

"Do you get a lot of teenage customers?" Kingsley asked, hopeful that they were on the right track.

"Yeah, a lot of spoiled brats with too much time and money on their hands," Ash said.

"Did you sell a tape recorder recently?" Tonks asked. "One that looked something like this?" She handed him a sketch she had made, of what the recorder had probably looked like before it was melted.

"No, this looks like an old, clunky model," Ash said, after examining the sketch. "The kids usually want the latest gadgets, like the ones small enough to fit in your pocket. There's less demand for them now, anyway, since the magical music boxes and recording spheres came on the market."

"Oh," Tonks said, feeling very disappointed. "Well, it's probably no use showing you these, then, but do you recognize any of these people? Maybe they were looking, but didn't actually buy anything from you?"

The werewolf looked through the pictures of Stewart Ackerley, Isabelle Laroque, Jack Sloper, Andrew Kirke, Tristan Ames-Diggory, and Aric Dietrich--Snape's list of most likely suspects. Actually, Snape had told Tonks that Aric was probably a long shot, but that it wouldn't hurt to include him. "No, sorry," Ash said. "I don't recognize any of these kids. When I do see school-age kids, it's usually during the summer or Christmas breaks. I imagine that it must be hard for them to sneak out of Hogwarts and come to London. Hogsmeade, perhaps, since it's within walking distance, although I guess the older ones might be able to Apparate."

"Well, thanks anyway, Ash," Tonks said, looking crestfallen. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us."

The werewolf seemed much less hostile than he had at the beginning of their meeting. "You know, there might be another way that your suspect could have bought a tape recorder," he said thoughtfully.

"We've already tried all the authorized Muggle merchandise dealers," Kingsley said.

Ash shook his head impatiently. "I don't mean from a shop. This machine looks like an older model, and people sell a lot of secondhand items in the classified section of the Daily Prophet. A tape recorder's not illegal, so there would be no problem with someone placing an ad saying that they're looking to buy or sell one."

"And lots of students get the Daily Prophet delivered at school!" Tonks said excitedly. "They wouldn't even have had to leave the school to buy the recorder; they could have just had it owled to them!"

"Damn!" Kingsley said. "Why didn't we think of that?"

Ash shrugged. "Maybe because most wizards don't like to advertise that they own Muggle items. There aren't really that many listed in the classifieds, but perhaps that will make your search easier."

"Thank you so much, Ash!" Tonks exclaimed, and the werewolf actually smiled a little.

"You're welcome," he said, and got up to leave.

"Say...Ash?" Tonks asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" the werewolf asked warily.

"I know it's none of my business, but..."

"But you're going to ask anyway," Ash said with a wry smile.

Tonks took that as tacit permission to ask her question. "The anti-werewolf legislation has been repealed, and the equal rights bill passed. Why are you still working in the black market? I mean--I'm not judging, I'm just curious. Is it still hard for werewolves to find jobs? My cousin Sirius is the Head of Werewolf Support, and he said that things were getting better..."

"This is what I'm good at," Ash said. "This is all I really know how to do. Some of the pack have found jobs, but they're mostly menial labor. Brian is a stockboy, Rachel is a maid, and Kyra cleans animal cages. Lukas and Lupin are the only werewolves who have jobs that pureblood wizards would actually consider respectable. Legally, we're allowed to work, but not that many people are eager to hire us. Your cousin is doing his best, I suppose, but forgive me if the opportunity to wash dishes or change dirty linens doesn't exactly fill me with gratitude. Maybe things will change if Lukas actually manages to become head of the Diggory family, but I'm not going to hold my breath."

"Well, what would you like to do, if you had the opportunity?" Tonks asked.

"I dunno," the werewolf said, looking puzzled. "I don't waste time wishing for things I can't have. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Quidditch player, but I'd say that's not very likely to happen."

Tonks thought for a moment. "Well, you must know a lot about Muggle technology, considering your line of work."

"Sure," Ash said carelessly. "Most of my customers don't have a clear idea of how to use the devices they're buying, so I usually have to explain it to them. It's the idea of it being forbidden that appeals to them, after all."

"How did you learn so much about it?" Tonks asked. "My dad's a Muggle-born, so I spent a lot of time in the Muggle world, but most of my friends don't have a clue about how most Muggle things work."

"Some of us used to pick up odd jobs in the Muggle world when we couldn't find wizarding work," Ash replied. "Mostly manual labor."

"So you spent a lot of time associating with Muggles?"

"I guess you could say that," Ash said, staring at her suspiciously. "What's with all the questions? I don't see how this is helping to catch your suspect." Kingsley nodded, wondering the same thing.

"It's not," Tonks said. "But I was just thinking that you might be qualified to work in Muggle Relations, or the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department."

Ash threw back his head and laughed out loud. "A werewolf working in the Ministry of Magic? Maybe the spell that turned your hair purple has scrambled your wits, girl!"

"Her name is Tonks," Kingsley growled. "And her wits are perfectly fine."

"Well, the next time there's an opening for Minister of Magic, let me know and I'll apply," the werewolf said sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind, I have business I need to attend to."

"Thank you, Ash," Tonks said cheerfully. Ash nodded curtly and stalked off, with that peculiar air of grace that most of the werewolves seemed to have.

"Insolent git," Kingsley muttered.

"Well, you can't really blame him for being bitter," Tonks said reasonably. "And he did give us a potential lead."

"True," Kingsley conceded. "I guess we should get back to the office and start digging through back issues of the Daily Prophet. By the way, you weren't serious about him working at the Ministry, were you?"

Tonks frowned. "I don't see anything wrong with it, do you?"

"I don't have anything against a werewolf working at the Ministry," Kingsley replied, "although I might have some reservations about this particular werewolf, since he seems to be a smuggler. But what I meant was that the Ministry would never stand for it."

"Yes, well, a few years ago, the parents wouldn't stand for having a werewolf teacher at Hogwarts, and now there are two of them," Tonks pointed out. "And if Lukas wins his lawsuit, that might give the werewolves a little more respectability. I'll talk to Arthur about it. And as for Ash being a smuggler, you know the saying--set a thief to catch a thief."

Kingsley shook his head, then smiled. "Dawlish and Williamson would have a fit."

Tonks grinned. "Makes the idea even more appealing, doesn't it?"

Kingsley laughed. "It would be worth it, just to see the looks on their faces!"

Their good spirits waned a little, though, when confronted with stacks of old newspapers in a storeroom at the Ministry. "How far back do you think we need to go?" Tonks asked.

"Well, let's start with the last couple of months," Kingsley sighed. "Hopefully we won't have to go too far back, but we don't know how long the culprit was planning this supposed prank."

Tonks picked up a newspaper and turned to the classified section, then smiled ruefully. "And here I thought being an Auror would be such an exciting job when I first joined the Ministry!"

***

"I don't see why I have to do this," Snape whined.

"Because I want a family photo," Lupin said stubbornly. "For Merlin's sake, Severus, all you have to do is hold still for a few minutes."

"What do you need a photo for?" Snape grumbled. "You see me every day; it's not like you're going to forget what I look like."

"I don't just want a photo of you," Lupin said. "I want a photo of us together as a family. I thought it might be nice to keep one on my desk in my office."

"Oh for God's sake, Lupin!"

"Besides, the boys are growing up so fast," Lupin said, smiling at Theo and Dylan tenderly. "We should have pictures of them, so we can look back and remember these times."

"I wish I had more pictures of my mother and father," Dylan said with what was genuine wistfulness, although he also milked it for all that it was worth. (He had picked up quite a few pointers in the art of emotional manipulation simply by observing Lupin over the past several months).

Snape's resolve seemed to waver just a bit. "Well..." he said reluctantly.

"Oh, come on, Sev," Lupin said, reaching up to adjust the collar of Snape's dress robes. "You know you're going to give in, so why not just get it over with?"

"Yes, didn't you say that it was easier to give in when the werewolf has his mind set on something?" Dylan asked, grinning widely.

"Don't push your luck, Mr. Rosier," Snape growled, but Dylan just kept grinning, unintimidated. "Very well, let's get this over with!" Snape snapped.

Colin, who had been waiting patiently while Lupin talked Snape into posing for the photo, smiled nervously, "Okay, if you could all move a little closer together...maybe Theodore and Dylan could stand in front of the Professors...no, you're blocking Professor's Lupin's face...could you crouch down a bit, Theodore? Or if the Professor could move to the left just a little, sorry, I mean my left, which I guess would be your right..."

"Is this going to take all day, Creevey?" Snape complained.

"Okay, that's perfect!" Colin said hastily. "Everybody hold that position...er...could you smile, Professor Snape?" Snape gave Colin an evil glare, but altered his expression into something that unfortunately came out as more of a grimace than a smile. "Uh, never mind," Colin said. "Okay, everybody say 'Cheese'!"

"Cheese!" Lupin and Dylan chorused happily. Unlike his foster father, Dylan was perfectly happy to dress up and pose for a few photos. He willingly embraced his image as a peacock, and welcomed the opportunity to wear the dress robes that Lady Selima had given him for Christmas. Theodore, who was also dressed in the robes he had received for Christmas, just laughed.

As the flash went off, Lupin whispered to Snape, "Just imagine the time you sent James those Swelling Solution chocolates on Valentine's Day."

Later, in his office, Lupin looked at the photos Colin had given him--moving pictures, developed with a special magical potion. The first showed the four of them posing together, Lupin and the boys smiling while Snape scowled, then Lupin leaned over and whispered into Snape's ear, and the Potions Master's face broke out in a wicked grin. The second, taken just after the first, showed Lupin kissing Snape on the cheek; Snape's face turned bright red and he glared at Lupin as the boys burst into laughter. Lupin smiled lovingly at the photos. He put the first in a frame and set it on his desk, proudly displaying his family for everyone to see, but the second he filed away out of sight, tucked behind some paperwork in his desk drawer, for his own private enjoyment. His pet rat Kiseki was the only one to witness him take out the photo every now and then when he was alone, and chuckle fondly.

***

When court convened at the Ministry of Magic, Lamont Whitby and Amos Diggory had smug smiles on their faces. Morrigan's sources had told her that Whitby had finally been able to dig up evidence of the werewolves' past illegal activities. However, Morrigan and Lukas had come up with a counterattack.

Morrigan stood and said, "Before Mr. Whitby presents his evidence, I would like to submit a list of witnesses for the court to subpoena."

"Let us see this list, Ms. De Lacy," Madam Bones said. Morrigan handed her a very long roll of parchment, and she also gave a copy to Whitby. Bones began reading off the names on the list: "Archibald Abercrombie, Otto Bagman, Henry Bletchley, Darius Diggle, Frederick Flint, Merton Graves, Alasdair Maddock, Olga Odgen, Paul Parkinson--"

An uproar arose in the courtroom from both the spectators and the Wizengamot. The names on the list were all of people who belonged to prominent wizarding families or were famous in their own right, such as Merton Graves, who was a member of the Weird Sisters, or Alasdair Maddock, a famous Quidditch player who was known to have an interest in Muggle sports. A few of the people on the list, such as Olga Odgen, were related to members of the Wizengamot.

"What do you think you're doing, De Lacy?" Whitby shouted angrily, waving the list at her accusingly.

Morrigan smiled at him innocently. "Why, if you are going to accuse Master Diggory of conducting illegal business, will you not also have to question the people that he did business with? Unfortunately, most of them were a bit reluctant to testify voluntarily, so I'll need the court to issue summonses for them to appear."

The uproar grew even louder, and Madam Bones had to bang her gavel loudly several times to restore order. "I will speak to counsel for both sides in chambers!" she declared sternly.

The lawyers conferred with Bones for several minutes, then returned to the courtroom, Whitby looking furious and Morrigan looking very pleased with herself. Whitby, in a strained tone of voice, asked for a recess, and Morrigan politely said that she had no objection to his request, so Bones adjourned the proceedings until the following week. Reporters eagerly clustered around both parties as they left the courtroom.

"Were you pressured to drop the accusations against Master Diggory?"

"No comment!" Whitby snapped as he and Amos hurried past the reporters.

"Were you involved in illegal activities, Master Diggory? Did you do business with the Weird Sisters?"

"Did Alasdair Maddock purchase Muggle sports equipment from you?"

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions," Morrigan said sweetly. "Just as no one should jump to conclusions about Master Diggory's past." She led Lukas past the reporters, ignoring the rest of their questions. "Well, that worked out very nicely," she said with a grin, when they had finally escaped the reporters.

"So what happened, exactly?" Lukas asked.

"Madam Bones accused both of us of grandstanding and being inflammatory, but she did acknowledge that you have the right to call witnesses on your behalf if you are being accused of a crime. Whitby can't afford to offend that many important wizarding families, so he agreed to drop his allegations if I agreed to drop my witness list. So we accomplished a double victory today--your past crimes cannot be used against you, and the wizarding elite knows that you have dirt on them. I think they'll be much less inclined to make an enemy of you now. They won't support your claim, but I think they'll be afraid to actively oppose you."

"Hopefully none of them will try to have me killed in order to silence me," Lukas said dryly.

"This was your idea," Morrigan reminded him. "That's one of the risks you run, tangling with the pureblood elite."

"I'm not afraid of them," Lukas said.

"I don't really think they'll go that far, but just to be sure, I'll drop a few hints that you've left behind information that will be made public and sent to the Daily Prophet in the event of your untimely demise."

"You are a true Slytherin," Lukas said, with amusement but also with genuine respect.

"Of course I am," Morrigan laughed. "Growing up in Slytherin House was good training for my job; Lamont is no match for me. Well, good day, Lukas. I'll see you next week."

"Good day, Morrigan."

Lukas went to the Leaky Cauldron, where he met Narcissa as usual. "I think we need to find a new meeting place," she said with a frown. "I almost got caught coming up to your room." Then she saw the triumphant grin on his face, and said, "But I suppose we can discuss that later. Things went well in court today, I take it ?"

"Very well," he replied, and explained what had happened.

Narcissa frowned again. "I had no idea that you had so many pureblood customers."

"Well, of course we did," Lukas said. "Who else has the money to buy illegal goods?" He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "But enough talk about the past. Let's celebrate today's victory."

Narcissa smiled, still looking a little troubled, but Lukas could see his desire mirrored in her eyes. "And do you have any dirt on the Malfoy family?" she asked playfully.

He bent down and whispered in her ear, "I hear that Lady Malfoy is sleeping with a werewolf."

"Dreadfully shocking," Narcissa said in a husky voice.

"Absolutely," Lukas agreed, and covered her mouth with his.

Their lovemaking was even more passionate and frenzied than usual, and Lukas returned to Hogwarts, feeling very sated and content. He knew that what he and Narcissa had could not possibly last, but the wolf didn't worry too much about the future, and the man tried not to think about it. His trysts with Narcissa seemed to take place in another world, one completely separate from the rest of his life, from his work at Hogwarts and the bond he shared with his pack. And somehow, perhaps irrationally, he felt that as long as he could keep those two worlds separate, everything would be all right.

Lupin stopped by his quarters to ask how the trial had gone. "From the smile on your face, I'm assuming that things went well."

"Indeed they did," Lukas replied, trying to tone down his smile a bit. It was fortunate that Lupin had mistaken it for pleasure at a court victory rather than a postcoital glow.

Lupin suddenly stared at the other werewolf, looking concerned. "Are you all right, Lukas?"

"Of course I'm fine, Remus," Lukas replied. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just...er...your ear," Lupin said, gesturing towards his left ear. "There's a bit of dried blood on it. Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing," Lukas said, thinking quickly. "I just...ah...stopped by the townhouse to visit the pack. Some of the younger wolves get a bit rambunctious when they play. It's nothing."

"I see," Lupin said, not looking completely convinced, but he didn't try to contradict Lukas. They chatted about the trial for a few minutes, then Lupin excused himself, saying that he had to get back to class.

As soon as Lupin was gone, Lukas examined his reflection in the mirror. His gold-and-emerald earring was missing; Narcissa must have torn it out by accident during their lovemaking. The wound had closed and was no longer visible, but a smear of dried blood remained on his earlobe.

Lukas cursed under his breath, wondering if he ought to go back to the inn to retrieve the earring. It would be a bit embarrassing, and besides, some maid had probably already pocketed it. The earring could be easily replaced now that he had a steady job and a good salary. Then he suddenly remembered that one of his pack members, Rachel, was a maid there. She usually worked the night shift, so hopefully she wouldn't find it and recognize it.

Then he realized that he had something more serious to worry about. The earring was enspelled with a birth control charm, and he had probably lost it while he and Narcissa were making love--and the charm was only effective while one was wearing it. He was filled with panic for a moment before he took a deep breath and managed to calm himself down. There was probably nothing to worry about; Narcissa had only one child, Draco, and it was probably not for lack of trying. One male heir was enough to ensure the succession, of course, but most of the purebloods considered it prudent to have a "spare" in case harm befell the first heir or he somehow turned out to be unsuitable. However, many of the pureblood women had difficulty conceiving, and come to think of it, Narcissa had never discussed birth control with him. Which meant that either she was barren or she was using a charm of her own. Lukas had not been planning on sleeping with Narcissa when he first met her, of course, but he had bought the charm several years ago and left it more-or-less permanently in his ear, since he had indulged in casual affairs from time to time with some of the female werewolves. Most of the time it was simply an ornamental piece of jewelry, but it had proved convenient when he began sleeping with Narcissa. However, if she had conceived only once in over seventeen years of marriage, it was unlikely that she would get pregnant now.

Lukas breathed a sigh of relief, but resolved to replace the earring anyway.

***

Meanwhile, Narcissa was brooding at Malfoy Manor, for entirely different reasons. In spite of the fact that she was sleeping with Lukas, she wasn't sure that she wanted him to win his case. Awarding a pureblood estate to a non-human went against everything she believed in. Of course, her beliefs had not done her much good, now had they? Her perfect pureblood husband had tried to kill their son, and she had been disgraced by her association with the Death Eaters.

But still, those beliefs had been ingrained in her since she was a child, and they were difficult to shake. Narcissa knew that her clandestine affair with Lukas could not last forever. If he became Lord Diggory, he might eventually want to settle down and marry (a Lord needed a Lady, after all), and Narcissa could not bring herself to openly consort with a werewolf. Maybe she was cowardly and ungrateful and bigoted, but she didn't think that she could bear to give up her last shreds of pureblood pride and subject herself to the kind of ridicule that Snape so easily brushed off. Besides, Narcissa could not have married Lukas even if his blood was pure, because Draco wasn't ready to accept a stepfather. She doubted that he would ever be, no matter how many years passed. His feelings for his father were a complicated tangle of love and hate, and she didn't think that he would ever allow anyone to replace Lucius in his life.

And even if Lukas lost his case, once the trial was over, he would have no reason to come to London and the Leaky Cauldron every week. He would probably give up on the pureblood world in disgust and go back to his werewolf pack. No matter how things turned out, their affair would probably end when the trial did.

That thought filled her with an unexpected sense of regret. She didn't know why it should bother her so much. This was only a casual fling, after all; nothing more than pure physical desire. Yet she found herself wishing that the trial would drag on indefinitely...which actually was pretty close to the truth. Lukas's lawyer had told him that it would probably drag on for months. Lukas had been rather disgruntled about it, but Narcissa found herself cheering up slightly. There was no point in borrowing trouble, after all. She would enjoy the moment and worry about the future when the time came. It was silly to be moping about like a lovesick schoolgirl. This was nothing more than sex between two consenting adults who didn't have anyone else to turn to. They were simply using each other to satisfy their physical needs. In fact, by the time the trial was over, they would probably be sick of each other and more than willing to move on.

Narcissa almost managed to convince herself to believe it.

***

Everything had been quiet at the school since the Quidditch match, so Dumbledore decided to allow the students to go on their usual trip to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day, with several chaperones to watch over them. To no one's surprise, Snape and Lupin elected to remain behind at the school that day. Lupin kept fluttering his lashes and giving Snape come-hither looks all through breakfast while the Potions Master flushed and glared at him.

"Knock it off, Lupin, or I'll turn you into a toad," Snape growled.

Lupin leaned over and whispered into his ear, "But then who will you sleep with tonight?"

Snape choked on his coffee and broke out into a coughing fit.

"Oh my goodness, Severus!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"No," wheezed Snape, "and I'm going to leave the table before I kill the werewolf or he kills me!"

"You can't kill Remus," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Then we'd be short a teacher."

"I've always wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, anyway," Snape retorted, and left the table in a huff.

"Then again," Lupin said to himself, a lascivious gleam in his eyes, "why wait until tonight?" And he hurried after the Potions Master.

"Well, we won't see those two again for the rest of the day," Lukas muttered under his breath. Branwen just smiled, looking amused.

At the Slytherin table, several of the girls were giggling. "Don't the Professors make such a cute couple?" Yvonne cooed.

Aric pretended to gag. "Oh, please, I think I'm going to be sick!"

"I wasn't talking to you," Yvonne said coldly.

***

Snape walked into his quarters and came to an abrupt halt, staring in shock. The walls were decorated with red paper hearts and red and white crepe-paper streamers, and there was a trail of rose petals strewn across the floor leading to the bedroom.

Lupin came up behind Snape, grinning proudly. "So what do you think, Sev?" he asked.

Snape snorted. "So this is why you were late to breakfast this morning. I think it looks like you're trying to compete with Madam Puddifoot's."

"Not quite," Lupin laughed. "No cherubs or confetti, after all." He took Snape's hand. "Come, perhaps this will be more to your liking."

He led Snape to the bedroom, which much to Snape's relief, was free of streamers and paper hearts. There were more rose petals scattered on the floor and across the bed, though, and there was a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, and two wineglasses on the nightstand beside the bed.

"Yes," Snape said. "Much better." Lupin opened the bottle of wine and filled the glasses. "Isn't it a bit early in the morning for that, Remus?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows. "We just came from breakfast, after all."

"You're right," Lupin said. "It's inappropriate to be drinking this early in the morning." He draped his arms around Snape's neck and leaned in close, growling softly. "So how do you propose we pass the time, Severus?" he asked huskily.

Snape wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist. "Would it be inappropriate to have sex in the morning?" he asked.

Lupin titled his head to one side, pretending to consider the question. "I'm no expert on etiquette, but I've never heard of any rule against it. What about you?"

"Oh, to hell with the rules," Snape said, and kissed Lupin hungrily. The werewolf growled and pushed his mate down onto the bed, sending a spray of rose petals flying up into the air around them.

***

After breakfast, the students walked over to Hogsmeade, accompanied by several teachers, including McGonagall, Hagrid, Flitwick, Satoshi, and Diggory. Draco happened to overhear Diggory telling McGonagall that he was only coming because he had an errand to run, and he wouldn't be able to help chaperone the students.

"That's fine, Master Diggory," McGonagall replied. "There are enough of us to watch over the students without your help."

On the walk to Hogsmeade, Ron walked next to Daphne, close but not quite touching. Millicent winked at Pansy, then strode forward, brushing past Daphne, who instinctively took a step to the side, bringing her closer to Ron. Their hands bumped against each other and they blushed. Daphne did not move away, though, and that gave Ron enough courage to take her hand in his, and she smiled up at him shyly. Ron beamed happily, looking as proud as if he'd just been publicly awarded the Order of Merlin. Harry figured that if Ron was able to work up the courage to hold a girl's hand, then he ought to be able to do the same. So he took a deep breath and reached out and clasped Ginny's hand; she squeezed his hand and smiled back at him. Harry felt a wide grin spreading across his face that he knew must look rather silly, but he was so happy that he didn't care.

When they reached Hogsmeade, McGonagall instructed the students to stay on the main street, within sight of the teachers, and not to wander out of the town proper.

Damien and Parvati decided to go to Madam Puddifoot's, along with several other couples, including Pansy and Justin, and Crabbe and Luna. "Want to go to Puddifoot's?" Blaise asked Theodore, who stared at him in horror until he realized that Blaise was joking.

"That's not funny!" Theodore said with a shudder. "If you want me to kiss you in public, I'll do it, but I wouldn't be caught dead in Puddifoot's!"

"I was just teasing," Blaise laughed. "Come on, let's go to Honeydukes; I promised Allegra I'd buy some candy for her."

"By the way, Blaise," Parvati said coyly, "your little sister is quite popular. She got several valentines this morning."

"What?!" cried Blaise. "From boys?"

"Some of them were from boys," Lavender giggled.

"Which boys?" Blaise demanded.

"Let's see, I think she got one from Jun Chang, and one from Patrick Parkinson, and--"

"Why, those little--"

Theodore took Blaise by one arm and Goyle grabbed the other before he could run back to Hogwarts to defend his sister's honor. "Calm down," Theodore said, as they steered Blaise in the direction of Honeydukes. "All they did was send Allegra a few heart-shaped pieces of paper, for crying out loud."

"Just tell your brother that he'd better not try anything funny with my little sister!" Blaise called out to Pansy as Theodore and Goyle dragged him away.

"You sure are overprotective, Zabini," Goyle told him. "I feel sorry for your sister's boyfriends when she starts dating."

"He said he's going to lock Allegra in a tower until she's thirty," Theodore informed Goyle.

"I know what boys are like," Blaise grumbled. "Especially Slytherin boys. Nobody's taking my sister into the rose bushes or under the Quidditch stands!"

"You're a Slytherin boy," Theodore pointed out with a grin. "Aren't you lucky that I don't have an older brother defending my virtue?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Blaise said. "Besides, I've never taken you under the Quidditch stands."

"Hey, none of that!" Goyle protested. "Whatever you guys do in private is your business, but I don't wanna hear any details about it!"

Draco felt a little uncomfortable surrounded by so many happy couples. Rosier and Granger, Potter and Ginny Weasley, and Ron Weasley and Greengrass were heading into The Three Broomsticks hand-in-hand. Greengrass was gazing up at Weasley with a particularly admiring and adoring look--Weasley, for Merlin's sake! What the hell was so special about Weasley? Not that Draco wanted Greengrass gazing at him that way; he found her timid, mousy, and boring. But Draco found it rather annoying that Weasley's lovelife seemed to be progressing better than his own. His relationship with Serafina seemed to be stuck in limbo at the moment. He had agreed that it would be best to remain friends for now, but he found himself growing impatient with the status quo, although he wasn't sure that he was ready for a romantic relationship, either. Maybe it was just that he felt dissatisfied with his life in general lately.

"Do you want to get a butterbeer?" Serafina asked, interrupting his brooding.

Draco was about to say "yes," when he saw Master Diggory heading down the street, away from the town, in the direction of the train station and the lake. There was a certain furtive air about the werewolf that aroused Draco's curiosity.

"Let's see what Diggory's up to," Draco said. "He told McGonagall that he had an errand to run, but he's heading away from town. Maybe he's sneaking off to meet his mysterious girlfriend." Following the werewolf should provide a harmless distraction from his worries, and perhaps provide him with some interesting gossip to share in Slytherin.

"We're not supposed to leave the town," Serafina said dubiously. "We're supposed to stay on the main street, within sight of the teachers."

"Well, technically we'll be within sight of Diggory," Draco reasoned. "But hopefully he won't turn around and see us."

"We'll get in trouble," Serafina argued.

Draco looked around; the only teacher nearby was Master Satoshi, who was flirting with Madam Rosmerta, and at the moment, his attention seemed to be focused more on her cleavage than on the students he was supposed to be watching.

"Quick, let's go before anyone notices," Draco hissed, and headed after Diggory without waiting for a reply. Serafina hesitated, then followed.

"We're going to wind up in detention," she complained.

"Shh, keep your voice down," Draco whispered. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Someone has to keep Master Diggory from killing you if he catches you spying on him," Serafina whispered back.

"Why Sera, I didn't know that you cared," Draco said with a grin. Serafina tried to glare at him, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, and suddenly Draco felt much better. He felt as if he was going on an adventure; almost as much fun as spying on Potter and getting him into trouble had been in the old days.

Part 63