FIC: Aftermaths, Part 63

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 63
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: ~9,420
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: Draco's discovery of his mother's affair causes his resentment to build up until it finally explodes into an attack on another student.

Part 62 (Previous chapters can be found under the aftermaths tag.)

***

Fortunately, Diggory seemed intent on his errand, and didn't notice that he was being followed. He headed past the station down to the lake, and paused by the shore in a spot that was partially shielded by a dense growth of shrubbery. Draco and Serafina ducked behind a bush and waited to see what would happen. Diggory paced by the shore, looking impatient, and after a few minutes, they heard the cracking sound of someone Apparating, and a woman dressed in a hooded cloak appeared carrying a picnic basket in one hand. The woman pushed back her hood and smiled at the werewolf, and Draco gasped, because the woman was his mother.

Serafina quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, which was a good thing, because otherwise he might have screamed when he saw Diggory kiss Narcissa passionately. Diggory's keen werewolf ears might still have picked up the muffled, strangled noise Draco made if he had not otherwise been occupied, but he seemed to be too absorbed in shoving his tongue down Draco's mother's throat to notice anything else. Draco's first instinct was to grab his wand and hex the werewolf, but Serafina wrapped her free arm around him tightly, pinning his arms to his sides. She placed her mouth next to his ear and whispered in a barely audible yet fierce voice, "Don't do anything stupid, Draco!"

The sensation of Serafina's body pressed against his proved a little unsettling, though in a pleasurable sort of way, which disarmed him enough for him to regain control of his temper. He was still angry, but he relaxed slightly and Serafina loosened her grip on him although she still kept her hand over his mouth. Since that required her to remain in physical contact with him, Draco didn't object.

Narcissa pulled away from Diggory and asked nervously, "Are you sure this is safe, Lukas? It's so close to the town..."

"The students aren't supposed to leave the town," Diggory said.

"The students aren't supposed to do a lot of things," Narcissa said tartly, "but that doesn't always stop them. I should know; I was a student once myself."

"The other teachers are shepherding our little charges," Diggory said, sounding unconcerned. "But I'll cast a spell of obscurement, just to be on the safe side." He took out his wand and muttered a brief incantation, and the air around himself and Narcissa seemed to shimmer and blur. However, Draco rubbed his eyes and concentrated hard, and found that he was still able to see and hear his mother and his teacher. A spell of obscurement did not actually make someone invisible; rather, it employed misdirection, causing the eyes of any casual watchers to skip over the spot and look elsewhere, and causing any sound in the area to blend into indiscriminate background noise. But that only worked if a person wasn't actively trying to see through the spell. Because Draco and Serafina already knew where Diggory and Narcissa were, it was easy enough for them to see past the enchantment.

"Besides," Diggory told Narcissa, "it's not safe to meet at the Leaky Cauldron anymore. People have begun to take notice of my weekly visits there." He sneered a little and said bitterly, "And I'm sure that you wouldn't want a werewolf to sully the halls of Malfoy Manor."

"I know you have a townhouse in London," Narcissa snapped, "and you haven't invited me there, either!"

"Several of my pack members live there," Diggory retorted, "and I didn't think that you'd care to associate with any other werewolves. You've made it perfectly clear that you can barely tolerate my presence."

"That may be true," Narcissa said, "but that's not why you've never invited me over. You're ashamed of me, aren't you? You're constantly harping about your contempt for the purebloods, and you don't want your precious werewolves to know that you're actually sleeping with one!"

Diggory's face turned red and he snarled, "Ashamed? Hah! Who's the one sneaking around in disguise? You're the one who can't bear to be seen in public with a werewolf! What would all your pureblood friends say if they knew you were sleeping with a beast?!"

"I don't really have any friends left," Narcissa said quietly, suddenly looking tired instead of angry. "Except perhaps Aileen and Delia. So I suppose that my reputation doesn't matter very much. But Draco's does. He's already suffered enough because of his father and me." Diggory said nothing, just stood there with a brooding look on his face. Narcissa sighed and said, "Please, Lukas, we only have a couple of hours before you have to go back to Hogwarts. Let's not waste that time fighting."

Diggory was silent for a long time, then finally said, "I suppose you're right." Narcissa set the basket down on the ground, and Diggory raised an eyebrow. "A picnic lunch?" he said, a little sarcastically. "My, how romantic."

"It is Valentine's Day, after all," Narcissa said with an ironic little smile.

"I'm afraid that I didn't bring you any flowers," Diggory said.

"That's all right, Lukas," Narcissa said, with that same ironic smile. "I didn't expect you to."

Diggory held out one hand and muttered a charm under his breath, and a flower suddenly materialized in his palm. It was a single, perfect, long-stemmed rose that looked as if it had been freshly picked: the petals were just beginning to unfurl, and were beaded with glistening drops of dew.

"How lovely," Narcissa said as he handed it to her.

Diggory's lips curved into something that seemed too sad and bitter to actually be called a smile. "It will vanish in an hour or two," he said. "It's only an illusion, something insubstantial--rather like us."

"Then we should enjoy it while it lasts," Narcissa said quietly.

"Yes, I suppose so," Diggory said, just as quietly. He conjured up a blanket and spread it out on the ground. Narcissa opened the basket, revealing a bottle of wine and some bread, cheese, and fruit. "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou?" Diggory asked with a faint smile.

"Shall we start with some wine?" Narcissa suggested.

"I'd rather start with thou," Diggory said in a low growl, pulling her into his arms.

Serafina tugged on Draco's sleeve and nodded in the direction of the road back to Hogsmeade. Since Draco didn't want to watch the werewolf shag his mother, he followed without resistance, although a part of him was tempted to leap out of the bushes shouting at his mother and Diggory that he had seen them.

"How could she?" cried Draco, when they were a safe distance away from the lake.

"She's a widow now," Serafina said in a reasonable tone of voice. "And Master Diggory is single. There's no reason why they can't be...seeing each other."

"She's only a widow because she murdered my father!" Draco snarled.

"She killed him because he was going to kill you!" Serafina retorted.

"I know, but..." The expression on Draco's face changed from anger into confusion. "But he was still my dad."

"I know, Draco," Serafina said in a more sympathetic tone. "But she did it to protect you, and what's done is done. I know it's hard for you, but don't you think it must be hard for your mother, too? You at least have your friends here at school, but your mother is all alone in Malfoy Manor. She must be very lonely."

"But does she have to comfort herself with the werewolf?" Draco wailed in an aggrieved tone of voice.

"Don't you like Master Diggory?" Serafina asked patiently.

"He's okay as a teacher, but I don't want him as a bloody stepfather! How would you feel if it was your mother?!"

Serafina paused to think. "As long as my mother was happy, I don't think I'd mind. Master Diggory seems like a good person. He wouldn't beat her or yell at her the way my father did. So I guess I would be okay with it."

"You wouldn't care if your mother was shagging a beast?" Draco shouted. "I can't believe that...that...animal has been putting his grubby paws on my mother all this time!"

Serafina gave him a contemptuous look. "Come talk to me again when you're ready to behave like a human being," she said, and increased her pace, continuing on to Hogsmeade without looking back.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Draco snapped, but Serafina did not respond. Draco followed her back to Hogsmeade in sulky silence.

Satoshi was standing outside The Three Broomsticks looking around nervously when he spotted Draco and Serafina. "Ah, there you are!" he said, sounding relieved. "You know you're not supposed to wander off like that."

"I'm sorry, Master Satoshi," Serafina said politely. "We just went for a little walk."

Satoshi smiled knowingly at them and winked. "Well, of course you'd want a little privacy, seeing as how it's Valentine's Day and all, but rules are rules." He lowered his voice and added, "And I'd be in big trouble if McGonagall found out I lost two students. So I won't squeal on you two if you don't squeal on me." He winked at them again. "Deal?"

"Deal," Serafina said.

"Good," Satoshi said. "Now, your mother was asking for you. Why don't you go in and say hello to her?"

"Yes, sir," Serafina said. "We didn't mean to cause any trouble for you."

"No harm done, Miss Avery. Just stay put for the rest of the day, all right?"

"Yes, sir," Serafina said, and went into the inn to greet her mother.

Draco remained outside, still looking sulky. "What's the matter?" Satoshi asked with a smile. "Your romantic walk with Miss Avery didn't go well?"

"You might say that," Draco muttered.

Satoshi sighed and slipped an arm around his shoulder. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I struck out, too," he sighed. "The fair Rosmerta was only toying with my heart, it seems. Come, Mr. Malfoy, I'll buy you a butterbeer, and we can commiserate together."

Draco gritted his teeth together, biting back an insult and fighting the urge to shove the tanuki's arm away. He didn't feel like commiserating with anyone--and especially not a shapeshifter--in his current mood, but he had already just barely escaped detention by being caught leaving Hogsmeade. Not that he really cared about detention or House points at the moment. He felt like screaming or crying--or both. But instead he let Satoshi lead him into the inn and buy him a tankard of butterbeer.

***

The Slytherins noticed that Draco seemed to be grumpy and out of sorts lately, but no one other than Serafina knew why. Since his bad mood had started right after Valentine's Day, most of them assumed that he'd had a date with Serafina that went badly--if they wondered about it at all. Since they no longer had to fear the Malfoy family's anger, most of the Slytherins didn't waste time worrying about what was bothering Draco. In fact, some of the younger students who had been subject to Draco's bullying in the past took great pleasure in being able to ignore him.

A few of Draco's housemates did care, either because they were his friends or because his bad mood had a direct effect on them--such as the Slytherin Quidditch players. One afternoon during practice, Draco seemed to find fault with everything the team did.

"You're supposed to be aiming the Bludgers at the other team, you dolts, not our side!" Draco raged at Crabbe and Goyle. "You nearly clobbered Theodore!" Draco felt a surge of jealousy, and his words were tinged with bitterness as he added, "And Snape won't like it if his son's head gets split open by a Bludger a second time!"

"Sorry, Draco," Crabbe and Goyle muttered.

"It's no big deal, Draco," Theodore said, sounding a little surprised. "I'm okay, and besides, it was probably my fault for changing direction at the last minute. They didn't realize that I was going to veer off to the left like that."

Draco turned on Theodore and snapped, "Who's Captain of this team, Snape--you or me?"

Taken aback, Theodore said, "Well, you are...but..."

"Take it easy, Malfoy," Damien said soothingly, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder.

Draco angrily shrugged it off. "And you, Pierce--have you gone blind? Even an idiot like Longbottom could've caught that last pass! How do you expect us to win our next match with that kind of shoddy playing?"

"That's assuming there even is a next match," Damien said stiffly, not liking Draco's tone of voice. "Dumbledore still hasn't decided whether to let them resume or not."

"Well, that's just fine, then!" Draco snarled. "If none of you lot care whether we win or not, then this practice is just a waste of time!"

"That's not what he said, Draco," Malcolm protested.

"When I want your opinion, Baddock, I'll ask for it!" Draco shouted.

"Don't take it out on us just because you're in a bad mood, Malfoy," Malcolm said quietly. "We might have had to put up with it in the past, but we don't have to take it anymore."

"Why, you insolent little--" Draco cried, lunging at Malcolm. Dylan and Damien grabbed him and held him back.

"Look, we're all a little out of sorts today," Dylan said placatingly to the rest of the team, although it was obvious that Draco was the only one who was out of sorts. "Why don't we just call it a day?"

The team members nodded and left, except for Dylan, Damien, and Theodore. Even though he knew that Dylan was trying to help him by smoothing things over, Draco felt angry and resentful over the way Dylan had assumed control of the situation--and by the way everyone had obeyed Dylan without question.

"Trying to take over my position, Rosier?" Draco asked bitterly. "If you want to be Captain that badly, all you have to do is ask Snape. You've always been his pet, so I'm sure he'd give it to you. Or are you not his favorite anymore now that he's adopted an heir?"

"What are you talking about, Draco?" Dylan asked, frowning. "I'm not interested in competing against you, and certainly not against my own brother. I was just trying to keep the rest of the team from killing you. They aren't going to stand for that kind of attitude anymore."

"Attitude?" Draco asked indignantly, although he knew perfectly well what Dylan meant.

"You've started acting like the old Malfoy recently," Damien told him bluntly. "You know, the obnoxious git who likes to order everyone around, and expects everyone to kiss his arse?"

"How dare you!" Draco cried.

"You know you can't get away with that kind of thing anymore, Draco," Damien said, in a surprisingly sympathetic voice. "People only stood for it because they were afraid of your father, and now he's dead." Draco flinched, and Damien continued, "I know it must've been hard losing your dad, but you're a Slytherin, Draco--you know you've got to adapt in order to survive when the situation changes. You've been doing pretty well up until now." Damien smiled at him and threw an arm around his shoulders. "It's our job as your friends to remind you when you're backsliding, remember?"

Draco mistook the compassion in Damien's eyes for pity, and it made him even more furious. He shoved the red-haired boy away from him and snarled, "Go to hell, Pierce!"

Damien looked hurt, and Dylan asked in a concerned voice, "What's wrong, Draco?"

"Nothing's wrong, except that I'm surrounded by idiots!" Draco snapped.

Theodore gave Draco a cold look; having been Draco's lackey for most of his life, he had less patience with his former leader than the other two boys did. "We're trying to help you, Draco. But if you keep this up, you're going to wind up as friendless and hated as Dietrich is."

"I don't care!" Draco cried, and ran off the Pitch back to the castle.

"What's eating him?" Damien asked, in a tone that was more puzzled than angry.

"He's been like this ever since Valentine's Day," Dylan said. "Did he have a fight with Serafina or something?"

"I don't know," Theodore said with a shrug. "I asked her, but she won't talk about it. Says that it's personal and he has to work it out for himself."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope he gets over it soon," Damien sighed.

***

Draco ran back to the dorm and locked himself in his room. How could he confide in Dylan or Theo when what was bothering him was that his mother was shagging a werewolf? Their foster father was a werewolf, not to mention a friend of Diggory's, and they would probably think the whole thing was just fine and dandy. Like Serafina, they'd probably wonder why he was making such a big deal out of it.

Besides, he was so jealous of them that he could barely stand it. First there was Rosier, who had been Snape's pet from the minute he had entered Hogwarts, who was adored by everyone and seemed to excel at everything he tried, from Potions to Quidditch. It had just barely been tolerable when Draco had been the undisputed leader of Slytherin House and Rosier was still his subordinate, but now Draco was painfully aware that the other Slytherins remained on friendly terms with him mainly because of Dylan's influence. It was almost unbearable, being forced to live off Rosier's charity. And then there was Nott, who was no longer a Nott but a Snape. In some ways it was even worse being bested by Theodore than by Rosier. Everyone agreed that Dylan was exceptional, almost too good to be true, but Theodore had merely been Draco's lackey up until seventh year. There had been nothing exceptional about him--he was not ugly, but not especially handsome, either; his grades were respectable, but nowhere near as good as Draco's; and he had come from a wealthy pureblood family, but not one as wealthy or respected as the Malfoys.

But now Theodore's grades had vastly improved, and Draco realized to his chagrin that Theodore had been holding back so as not to outshine his leader. Now that he was no longer holding back, he picked up just as many points in class as Draco did, and he even scored higher in a few classes than Draco did. Not Potions, somewhat to Draco's surprise--apparently Snape wasn't allowing nepotism to affect his grades--or Incantations and Summonings. However, the latter might be partially due to the fact that Finnigan and Thomas had botched their first Summonings project, since the teams received a communal grade. And in their end-of-term exams just before Christmas vacation, Theo had outscored Draco in both Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had also achieved the top score in Ancient Runes, although neither Draco nor Granger were in that class.

Theodore also carried himself with more confidence now, instead of slouching and skulking around, and Draco had overheard a few of the girls regarding him with surprise, saying that he had somehow gotten better looking this year and it was a pity that he was gay. And Theodore was no longer from a middle-ranked family, but was the heir to one of the oldest and wealthiest pureblood families in the wizarding world. Technically, he outranked Draco now that the Malfoys were disgraced, and that knowledge smarted.

But what hurt most of all was that Dylan and Theo now outranked him in Snape's eyes. This surprised Draco a little, because although he had enjoyed being Snape's favorite student, enjoyed knowing that his family was so powerful that even the Potions Master had to cater to him to a certain degree, he had never really regarded Snape with a great deal of affection. He didn't have a bond of friendship with Snape the way that Potter, Weasley, and Granger did with Hagrid, nor did he adore Snape the way that almost all the students seemed to adore Lupin.

But Snape was someone that Draco looked up to, one of the few people that he actually respected. And Draco was just beginning to realize how much he had depended on Snape over the years. He remembered the time that Snape had calmed him down and given him tea and brandy, as well as some good advice, after Moody had turned him into a ferret, and of course there were all the times that Draco had gone to Snape for reassurance after his father had been arrested and exposed as a Death Eater. Snape was not comforting in the way that Lupin was, of course, but he had tried to reassure Draco in his own brusque way--but not too much, Draco now realized. He had wanted Draco to be a little afraid, to question whether joining the Death Eaters really was a good idea. That was what Lupin had said, the night after the final battle, that Snape had wanted to save him from the Death Eaters. And he had; he and Lupin had saved Draco's life when his own father would have let him die, even after Draco had attacked Snape and called him a traitor.

In some ways Snape had been more of a father figure to Draco than Lucius had. It was Snape who was responsible for Draco's education; it was Snape that Draco spent nearly three-quarters of every year with. When you stopped to think about it, Draco had spent much more time with Snape than he had with his parents. And Snape had always praised him lavishly, as his father never had. Draco had enjoyed hearing those praises, even though he had known that they were motivated more by a desire to stay on Lucius Malfoy's good side than by Draco's skill as a student or a Quidditch player. He had grown used to having Snape around to teach him, flatter him, and help keep him out of trouble when he got caught fighting with or pulling some prank on Potter. He had grown used to depending on Snape; he had taken it for granted that Snape would always be there for him, if only because Lucius Malfoy was Snape's superior in the Death Eaters. It had never occurred to him that Snape might not really be a loyal Death Eater. It had never occurred to him that someone might usurp his position as Snape's favorite.

Draco remembered all the effort that Lupin and Snape had spent trying to gain his trust and win him away from the Death Eaters, although he had been too thick to realize it back then. And he supposed that they still cared about him. Lupin was still kind to Draco, and had helped him find Serafina's Christmas present, and Snape had been concerned about his lack of opportunities at the Career Fair, and had offered to find him an apprenticeship or overseas study program. He had kept his promise, and found Draco not one, but two possible positions: Professor Kamiyama, the co-creator of the Wolfsbane Potion, had volunteered to take on Draco as a pupil and help him earn his Master qualification, and an American colleague of Snape's was working on developing new types of Healing Potions and needed an assistant. But although Snape and Lupin cared about him, they cared about Dylan and Theo more; their adopted sons had become the focus of their lives. And that hurt.

Draco laughed at himself mockingly. Was he really getting all sentimental over Snape, of all people? Did he really want Snape to be his surrogate dad? His laughter trailed off, because his heart told him that those two questions weren't really as ridiculous as they sounded. And then he asked himself if he was really upset because his mother was having an affair with a werewolf, or simply because she was having an affair, period. If she had been seeing, for example, Snape, would that be more tolerable?

Aside from the fact that Snape was (a) not interested in women and (b) already had a lover, Draco couldn't really picture Snape and his mother together. They were too different; he couldn't see Snape escorting Narcissa to parties and paying her gallant compliments about her beauty the way Lucius had. And he couldn't see Narcissa cheerfully putting up with Snape's bad temper the way Lupin did. Draco didn't really want Snape to marry Narcissa and become his stepfather, but he would have liked it if Snape had become his mentor and looked after him in a fatherly way, like he had for Dylan.

Maybe that was what had really bugged him the most about the oh-so-perfect Dylan Rosier. That Snape had befriended Dylan and watched over him not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Snape had done things for Dylan that he never had for Draco--told him stories about his father's schoolboy days and asked Dylan to help him brew his potions. In fact, not just Snape, but most of the teachers and students had immediately liked Dylan, not because of who his father was--if anything, his father's reputation had been a liability--but simply because he was handsome and charming and smart.

And that was why Draco found himself hating both Dylan and Theo right now. Back then, Draco hadn't minded that all the attention and praise he received from Snape was because he was Lucius Malfoy's son, but now the false flattery paled next to the true concern and love Snape showed for his own sons. Snape had actually hugged Dylan on the Quidditch Pitch, for Merlin's sake! And he had seen the terror in Snape's eyes when Theo had been struck by the Bludger, had seen the way that Snape had gently and protectively cradled Theo against his chest as he flew his wounded son back down to the Pitch.

Even Lupin, who treated all of his students with affection, seemed to have a special glow in his eyes when he looked at Theo and Dylan. Snape and Lupin cared about Draco, yes, but in the same way that they would care about any student. He was no longer anyone special.

Draco wasn't sure why it should suddenly hurt so much now. He hadn't liked his new status in Slytherin, but he had accepted it, and he had been grateful for Dylan's and Theo's friendship. But watching the two of them grow closer to their adoptive parents reminded Draco of just how much he had lost. It made him hate them for having a father--two fathers--when he had none. And he hated them because Snape and Lupin loved them the way that Lucius had never loved him.

He missed his father, even if Lucius Malfoy had been a cold-hearted bastard. He had worshipped his father, been in awe of him ever since he was a little boy. Lucius, who always carried himself with an air of cool, collected dignity, every strand of silver-blond hair perfectly in place. Lucius, who was so powerful that everyone feared him, even Snape. The smallest nod of approval, the briefest caress of affection--a mere pat on the head or shoulder--had been enough to fill Draco with joy. And conversely, a curt word of disapproval, a brief look of contempt when Potter bested him on the Quidditch Pitch, would fill Draco with a desperate desire to please his father, and a sickening fear that nothing he did would ever meet with his father's approval. His father had bought him plenty of things--expensive clothes and toys and even the Seeker position on the Slytherin team--but he had never looked at Draco the way that Snape and Lupin looked at Theo and Dylan, with love and pride in his eyes.

As for Cyril Diggory who was formerly Lukas Bleddri, Draco had once liked him in an offhand way. He had admired Bleddri's strength and skill, and he had been proud when Master Bleddri praised him in class, because Bleddri had no House ties and didn't give a damn whether Draco was Lucius Malfoy's son or not. Neither did Bleddri go out of his way to be nice to a student because he felt sorry for them, the way Lupin might. Whatever praise Draco received in that class, he had earned himself, and it had felt surprisingly good. And although a proper wizard was supposed to find physical combat demeaning, Draco had enjoyed the exhilaration of a good fight, the feeling of triumph when he defeated an opponent (especially when that opponent was Potter or Weasley or Dietrich).

And now Bleddri--or rather, Diggory--had ruined it all! Even though Draco hated Lucius, he still hated seeing someone else usurp his father's place. He hated Narcissa for betraying his father's memory, and he hated Diggory for making him hate Narcissa. His mother was the one person who had loved Draco without reservation, and now Diggory had come between them. Now Draco was truly alone, because he couldn't confide in or trust his own mother. He couldn't even take any pleasure in what had once been one of his favorite classes, because the damn werewolf was teaching it! The stupid werewolf had gotten above himself lately--acting all high and mighty ever since his true identity had been revealed. It was apparently not enough for him to try and seize control of a pureblood estate, but he had to take a pureblood woman to his bed, too!

A small part of Draco's mind was aware that he was not thinking rationally, but he didn't care, letting his anger and bitterness overwhelm that small voice of reason, because the anger was much more satisfying than being "reasonable" and trying to accept a situation he didn't like, the way Avery and Rosier and Pierce seemed to think he should. Let them see how reasonable they could be when it was their mother having a sordid affair with their werewolf teacher! Draco clenched his fists, resolving to himself that he was never, ever going to forgive the werewolf for what he had done...

***

Lupin noticed that Draco was sullen and moody of late, and asked him to remain behind after class one day. "Is everything all right, Draco?" he asked in a gentle voice, his blue eyes filled with concern.

A part of Draco was happy that Lupin had finally noticed him, while another part of him was resentful that it had taken Lupin so long to realize that something was bothering him. "My father's dead, the Ministry took half of our savings, and my family's been branded as Death Eaters in the public eye," Draco said sarcastically. "Everything is just peachy, Professor."

Lupin did not point out that all of those things had been true since the beginning of the school year, but it showed in his puzzled expression. "Has someone been giving you a hard time recently, Draco?" he asked.

"Not really," Draco mumbled.

Lupin placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Why don't we go to my office for a cup of tea and have a little chat?"

Draco allowed Lupin to lead him to his office, but there was no way that he could tell Lupin about Narcissa and Diggory. Lupin was a werewolf himself, after all, and it would be pretty insulting to tell Lupin that he didn't want his mother to date a werewolf. He ignored the little voice in his head that told him that it wasn't really Diggory's lycanthropy that was the problem.

"Please have a seat, Draco," Lupin said, gently pushing Draco down into a chair. He fussed over Draco, fixing him a cup of tea--and he even remembered how Draco liked to take it (sugar, no milk), which surprised and touched Draco. Lupin smiled at him so kindly that it almost brought tears to his eyes, and Draco was tempted to confess everything to him. But then he caught sight of the framed photo on Lupin's desk: Lupin, Theodore, and Dylan smiling and laughing together, and Snape, who was scowling at the camera in his usual grumpy manner until Lupin leaned over, a mischievous look on his face, and whispered something into Snape's ear that made his face break out in a wide grin. They looked like a family--like the happy family that Draco had never really had, although they had seemed happy on the surface, and it suddenly reminded Draco that he was the outsider here. Lupin was just being nice to him, the way he would be nice to Crabbe or Goyle or Longbottom. It was nothing special.

Draco stood abruptly and set the cup of tea down on Lupin's desk as the werewolf blinked in confusion. "Sorry, Professor, I just remembered something I have to do."

"But Draco--" Lupin protested.

"Thanks for the tea, Professor," Draco said, and ran out of the office.

***

"Draco, wait!" Lupin called, but the boy was already gone. Lupin sighed, wondering if he should go after Draco or give him some time alone to deal with whatever it was that was bothering him. Now was not really a good time for Lupin to be dealing with troubled students, but was there ever a good time for such things? Lupin already had a number of things to worry about at the moment. In addition to the tensions between Slytherin and the other Houses, not to mention the unknown prankster, he was concerned about the Longbottoms' obvious distrust of Severus, and he was trying to keep in touch with Tonks and Kingsley to see how the investigation was going. Tonks had recently told him that they had managed to track down the probable source of the tape recorder, a wizard who had sold a used device through a classified ad in the Daily Prophet. However, the person who bought it had sent payment anonymously by owl, and the seller had no idea who the buyer was or even where the tape recorder had been sent. He had simply sent the recorder back with the same owl who had brought the payment. When questioned about what the owl looked like, the seller had shrugged and said it was "big and brown," Tonks had told Lupin with a sigh. Unfortunately, at least half of the birds in the Owlery matched that description. Tonks had joked that they should do a line-up of the birds for the seller to identify, but it would probably be useless, as one owl pretty much looked the same as another to most people. (Not to Lupin, who could recognize most of the school owls on sight, and could pick out Socrates and Blodwen even if they were hidden among a dozen birds of the same species, but most people only saw the owls as message-carriers, while Lupin saw the birds as individuals, each with their own personality. His own animal nature made him a little more sympathetic towards them, and regard them as something more than just useful tools.)

On top of all that, Severus's birthday fell on the 21st, exactly one week after Valentine's Day. Lady Selima wanted to have a party for him, but Severus hated parties, so Lupin had to run interference between them, and managed to persuade Selima to have a quiet dinner just for the family. However, he still had to get Severus's birthday gift ready and take the boys shopping so that they could buy gifts for him, too.

"I didn't realize that the Professor's birthday was next week!" Dylan had exclaimed. "You should have told us; we could have picked up something in Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day."

"Sorry," Lupin had said sheepishly. "With everything that's been going on lately, I almost forgot until I got Selima's letter. And Severus doesn't like to make a big deal about it. I usually just give him a small gift and share a glass of wine with him in his quarters." And make love all night, but Lupin didn't think that the boys really needed to know that.

Anyway, the boys were adamant that they had to get Severus a birthday present, so Lupin had promised to take them shopping on Saturday. And of course Lupin still had his regular duties to attend to--lesson plans to prepare and papers to grade, as well as talking to the students who stopped by his office for help on their lessons or just because they needed someone to talk to.

Lupin was very busy, but if Draco needed him, he would make time for him. However, that required Draco to stay put in one place long enough for Lupin to talk to him. In the end, Lupin decided to consult with Dylan and Theo to see how serious the situation was.

"Draco's been in a snit ever since Valentine's Day," Theo told him.

"The consensus seems to be that he had a fight with Serafina," Dylan added. "Maybe a lover's spat."

"Oh," Lupin said, feeling relieved. That didn't sound too bad. Of course, it was probably hard on Draco, but every couple had their ups and downs, and Serafina, despite her quiet nature, was stubborn and strong-willed. She was the one person in Slytherin who had never been afraid of Draco and had never tried to flatter him. Lupin thought that was good for Draco, but the two of them were bound to clash from time to time, especially when Draco temporarily slipped back into his spoiled, snobbish ways.

"What does Serafina say?" Lupin asked.

"That it's personal and Draco has to work it out for himself," Theodore replied.

So Lupin decided that it was safe to give Draco and Serafina some time to work out their problems on their own. If Draco still seemed troubled next week, then Lupin would have another chat with him--by sentencing him to detention, if necessary. Feeling much better now that he had made that resolution, Lupin turned his attention back to the birthday plans for Severus.

***

Serafina ignored Draco at mealtimes and in the common room. She didn't avoid him, exactly, but she didn't seek him out or initiate any conversations with him. Mostly she behaved as she normally did, keeping to herself as she studied alone beside the fireplace, taking a break every now and then to play with Bast when the kitten batted at her textbook with one paw or tried to pounce on her homework. Draco was too proud to approach her and apologize, so he sulked in silence. He spent a lot of time alone in his room, especially when Snape and Lupin stopped by the common room for their semi-regular visits.

The last few Quidditch practices had not gone well, and Draco could tell that Dylan was getting tired of trying to play peacemaker. The team had begun to avoid him outside of practice and class, and Draco similarly tried to avoid Theo and Dylan, who only served to remind him of his misery.

Draco was so lonely that he finally broke down and sought out Lupin late one afternoon, about half an hour before dinner was supposed to start. He wasn't sure whether or not he was going to tell Lupin about Narcissa and Diggory, but he wanted to see a friendly face for a change, and if nothing else, it would be nice to have a cup of tea with Lupin, even if Lupin didn't care about him as much as he did Theo and Dylan.

But Lupin was not in his office or his classroom. After much inner debate and nervous pacing, Draco finally worked up the courage to knock on the door of Snape's quarters, but neither Lupin nor Snape responded. Puzzled and discouraged, Draco headed to the dorm and found Damien lounging on the couch in the common room. "Have you seen Professor Lupin?" he asked.

Damien looked surprised to hear Draco addressing him in a reasonably polite tone of voice. "Oh, didn't you hear? He's gone to Snape Manor with Snape and Dylan and Theo. It's Snape's birthday, so Lady Selima invited them over for dinner."

"I didn't know it was Snape's birthday," Draco said.

"Lupin says that Snape doesn't like to make a big deal about it," Damien said with a shrug. "But you know Lady Selima--it wouldn't be proper not to celebrate Lord Snape's birthday. Snape didn't want a big party, so they're just having dinner with the family."

"How come I didn't hear about this?" Draco asked indignantly.

"Well, you haven't been hanging around the common room much lately, Malfoy," Damien pointed out. "Dylan and Theo were just talking about it the other night, but you weren't here." Draco tried not to show how upset he felt, but he must not have been entirely successful, because Damien began to look a little concerned. "Is everything all right, Draco? If you really need to talk to Lupin, they should be back in a couple of hours. If it's an emergency, you could probably contact them through the Floo--"

"Never mind," Draco said in a flat voice. "It's no big deal."

"Are you sure?" Damien asked dubiously. "Draco--"

Draco ignored him and headed to his room, a feeling of cold resentment slowly spreading through his heart. Lupin and Snape were never there when he needed them; well, he wasn't going to depend on them anymore! If all they cared about was Theo and Dylan, then he didn't need them. He was a Malfoy; he didn't need anyone...

***

Unaware of Draco's malcontent, the Snape family sat down to dinner. Vorcher had prepared a splendid meal, with all the Master's favorite foods, and the finest bottle of wine that the Snape wine cellar had to offer. As they ate, they made polite small talk over dinner. Or at least what passed for "polite" in the Snape household, which was to say not very...

"Has that refugee from a bad Shakespearean play been by lately?" Snape asked sourly.

"Severus," Lupin chided gently.

"If you are referring to Prospero," Lady Selima said coolly, "no, he has not. You know it would not be proper for me to entertain gentlemen callers alone until the mourning period has passed."

"Aren't you a bit old to need a chaperone?" Snape asked sarcastically.

"Severus!" Lupin scolded, but not too forcefully, because there almost seemed to be a sense of ease and familiarity in the way the two Snapes were sniping at each other, like putting on a well-worn but comfortable robe or pair of slippers. Lupin smiled, lifting his glass of wine to his lips. He supposed that he should feel reassured; it was actually when they reverted to stiff, polite formality that things were most tense and troubled between them.

"The social proprieties must be observed, Severus," Selima replied. "However, he has been writing to tell me how his new book is progressing. Not that I read that sort of tripe, but he seems quite excited about it. The protagonist is a werewolf, apparently, and he says that Professor Lupin's information has proven invaluable."

"I'm so happy!" Lupin said delightedly. "I can't wait to read it!" Snape sighed heavily, rolling his eyes; Lupin laughed; the boys smiled; and Selima regarded them all with a patient but long-suffering look. Lupin's inner wolf growled happily, because all was well with his family.

For dessert, there was a very delicious-looking cake baked by Vorcher, but Lupin felt a little disappointed when he saw it. "No candles?" he asked.

"I hardly think that's necessary at my age, Lupin," Snape said sardonically. "Besides, it might be a little hard to fit thirty-eight candles on the cake."

"Just one, then," Lupin said, and he took out his wand and conjured up a lit candle in the center of the cake.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Lupin!" Snape said irritably. "Of all the childish--"

"Just indulge me, Severus," Lupin said sweetly. "Blow out the candle and make a wish."

"Oh, just humor him, Severus," Selima said impatiently. "We'll be here all night, otherwise."

Snape made a point of glowering fiercely at Lupin, who just grinned back at him. Then he leaned forward and blew out the candle. "Happy, Lupin?" he asked sarcastically.

"Delighted, Sev," Lupin said, still grinning.

"So what did you wish for, Professor?" Dylan asked.

"He can't tell you his wish or it won't come true," Lupin objected.

"Just how old are you, Lupin?" Snape asked in disbelief, and Lupin laughed. "Well, even if I believed in such nonsense, which I don't, there should be no trouble with my wish coming true." A very satisfied and wicked smile spread across Snape's face. "You see, I wished to finally be rid of Mr. Potter at the end of term, and after seven long years--seven VERY long years!--he is finally graduating."

Dylan and Theo burst into laughter, and Lupin pretended to frown and said, "Well, don't blame me if you're stuck with Harry for another year, Sev!"

Snape looked horrified for a brief moment, then he snorted in derision. "While Mr. Potter's scholarly abilities are indeed somewhat lacking, I don't think that he is actually in danger of failing any of his classes. Besides, I doubt that any of the teachers would want to fail the hero of the war." Snape glared at Lupin. "Isn't it rather un-Gryffindorish of you to wish for your best friend's son to repeat another year?"

Lupin grinned slyly at him. "I don't really want Harry to fail, of course, but I think I've been corrupted by your Slytherins."

"He is an honorary member of our House now," Theodore agreed.

Snape just gave his lover a sour look and muttered, "Perhaps it was a mistake to bring him into the dungeon, after all."

After dessert, Snape opened his presents. Selima gave Snape a new robe (black, of course) and the completed translation of the Arabic Potions text that Ali had given him for Christmas. "Thank you, Mother," Snape said, sounding genuinely grateful for the second gift, if not the first. Dylan and Theo gave Snape a book on healing potions; not an old, rare book, but one that had just been published a few months ago.

"Mr. Jigger recommended it," Dylan said.

"Yes, it's already generated a great deal of debate in the academic world," Snape said distractedly as he flipped through the book. "The author deviates greatly from the traditional method of potion-brewing; she even borrows some ideas from Muggle medicines. It's quite controversial." He looked up and smiled at the boys. "Perhaps we can experiment with some of these potions later, and see how effective they really are."

Dylan and Theo smiled back at him happily, saying, "Yes, Professor," and "Yes, Father."

Lupin handed Snape a small package and said, "I hope you like this, Severus."

Snape tore off the wrapping, revealing a framed photograph--it was a copy of the "family photo" that Lupin had asked Colin Creevey to take. His own image scowled at him while his lover and sons smiled at him from inside the photo, Lupin and Dylan silently mouthing the word "Cheese!" His expression softened for a moment and he almost smiled. Then he cleared his throat and said gruffly, "Exactly the sort of sentimental thing that I'd expect from a Gryffindor, but thank you, anyway, Lupin."

Lupin knew what he really meant, of course. He kissed Snape on the cheek and said, "You're welcome, Sev."

"Lupin!" Snape howled in protest, but strangely enough, Selima paid them no heed. She was staring at the photo with a thoughtful look on her face.

"You know, Severus," she said, "now that Theodore is your heir, perhaps we should take a formal family picture. The last one we have was taken while you were still in school, after all." She sighed. "And I suppose you'll want the werewolf in the picture, too. We can take one official photo with just you and Theodore and myself, and another with Professor Lupin and Dylan. I'll make an appointment at the studio. I suppose it shall have to be on a weekend, or perhaps I could schedule it for the Easter break..."

"This is all your fault, Lupin!" Snape accused as the werewolf burst out laughing.

***

Draco's bad mood continued, and he knew that he was rapidly alienating his friends and housemates by constantly snapping at them, but he didn't really care. He even took a kind of perverse pleasure in thoroughly wallowing in his misery.

He hated having to see Diggory three times a week in Physical Combat and Interspecies Relations, but he did enjoy taking out his frustrations on his sparring partners in class. One day he was sparring with Weasley and recklessly charged forward, swinging his wooden practice sword with such strength that he not only knocked Weasley's sword out of his hand, but actually knocked the other boy to the ground. Even then, Draco did not stop, his mind clouded in a red haze of anger and adrenaline, and kept swinging his sword, only dimly aware of Weasley's cries of pain and the dull "thwack" of wood hitting flesh.

A commotion erupted around Draco, who remained oblivious, still focused on attacking his opponent: a few of the girls screamed, and a few of the Gryffindor boys cried out angrily. Potter yelled, "What the hell are you doing?!" and Rosier shouted, "Draco, stop!" To Draco it was nothing more than background noise, like the annoying drone of a fly buzzing around the room. He struck again and again and again, and in his mind, it was not Weasley's face he saw, but his father's, and the werewolf's...

Someone tried to grab his arm, and Draco struck out angrily without even looking, and there was the sound of someone falling to the floor and Potter yelping in pain. Then strong arms grabbed him from behind, and someone shouted, "Enough! I said that's enough, Malfoy!" Draco struggled, but could not break free, and the person who had grabbed him twisted his wrist sharply until he cried out in pain and dropped his sword.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Master Diggory, and suddenly Draco came to his senses. The entire class, Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, were staring at him in fear and shock. Even Dietrich, who usually sneered and laughed at his housemates when they fought with each other or the Gryffindors, looked pale and frightened.

"Malfoy, what came over you?!" Diggory demanded.

"Nothing," snarled Draco, struggling in the werewolf's grip. "And I don't have to answer to a werewolf!"

"Well, I'm your teacher, and you'll answer to me, or you'll answer to your Head of House!" Diggory said.

"Go ahead and tell Snape, I don't care!" Draco screamed almost hysterically.

Potter and Longbottom were helping Weasley to his feet as he groaned in pain; there was blood running out of his nose. "Potter, Longbottom, take Weasley to the hospital wing," Diggory said curtly. "The rest of you are dismissed." When the students lingered, shuffling their feet and whispering to each other, Diggory growled, "Now!" and they all fled.

"Let me go!" Draco shouted, continuing to struggle although he knew it was futile.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Diggory asked, and suddenly Draco noticed that he sounded more concerned than angry. The werewolf tightened his hold on Draco, pinning the boy securely against his chest, and it almost felt like an embrace. For one crazy moment, Draco wanted to break down and weep in the werewolf's arms.

"I've seen you angry, but I've never seen you lose control like that before, Draco," Diggory continued, looking a little pale. "You could have killed Weasley, you know. You were almost like a berserker. It reminded me of the way that my wolves and I would lose control during the full moon when we didn't have the Wolfsbane Potion..."

That brief moment of insanity passed, and Draco was filled with fury again. "Don't you dare compare me to you, you...you...monster!"

A hint of comprehension dawned in Diggory's yellow-green eyes. "It's not Weasley that you were mad at," he said slowly. "It's me. Weasley was just a convenient target. What have I done to you, Draco, to make you so angry with me?"

"Don't play dumb with me, werewolf!" Draco snarled. "You know exactly what you did!"

He saw a flicker of fear, and then guilt in those wolfish eyes. "I...I don't know what you're talking about," Diggory stammered.

"I saw you!" Draco screamed. "I saw you by the lake on Valentine's Day!"

Diggory's face turned white and he abruptly released his hold on Draco, his arms falling limply to his sides. "Draco...I..."

"I saw you," Draco hissed, and the werewolf, who had never seemed to fear anyone or anything, took a step back. "How dare you put your filthy hands on my mother!" Draco took a step forward, and Diggory took another step back, looking almost afraid of Draco. That feeling of power, of being feared, was heady and intoxicating; it had been so long since he had last felt it. At the same time, the thought of the fierce werewolf leader being afraid of him was almost funny, and he bit his lip until he tasted blood in order to repress a surge of hysterical laughter.

"Draco," Diggory said, continuing to back away from him, "it's not what you think..."

"Oh?" Draco said sarcastically. "Then you aren't shagging my mother?" The werewolf flushed and fell silent.

"We never intended for this to happen," he finally said.

"You didn't intend?" Draco cried, and grabbed Diggory by the front of his robes and slammed him up against the wall. At this point, he didn't care if the werewolf killed him or not, but Diggory made no move to resist, not even when his back hit the wall with bruising force. "Do you have any idea what would happen to my mother if it became public knowledge that she's sleeping with a werewolf? She would be humiliated and ostracized! It's bad enough being a Death Eater's wife, but the purebloods can forgive ambition! With enough time and money, eventually things will smooth over, but this? She'd never be admitted back into pureblood society again, they would all spit on her! Her life would be ruined, and it would be all your fault! How dare you treat my mother like she's a common trollop!"

"It's not like that!" Diggory protested.

"Oh, is it true love, then?" Draco sneered. "Are you going to marry her?" Diggory looked away and said nothing, and Draco said contemptuously, "I didn't think so. Not that you'd be a fit husband, even if you did win your lawsuit. Even if the court names you 'Lord Diggory,' you'll never be anything but a beast!" Draco's fists were still clenched in Diggory's robes, and he gave the taller, heavier man a rough shake. Diggory's body remained as limp and unresisting as a rag doll, which made Draco even angrier. He almost wished Diggory would fight back, even though he knew it would be suicide to take on a werewolf single-handedly.

"I'll break it off with Narcissa," Diggory said in a dull voice. His eyes looked flat and expressionless, almost glazed.

"Good," Draco said curtly, giving the werewolf one more shake for good measure, then he released his teacher and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Diggory cried. He suddenly seemed to come to life again, his eyes and voice filled with some intense emotion that Draco did not recognize. "I'll break it off with Narcissa, but you must do something for me in return!"

"What?!" Draco shouted indignantly. "You are in no position to bargain, werewolf!" But Draco suddenly realized that the opposite was true. Diggory could ruin Narcissa and the Malfoy family with a single word, while Diggory, as a werewolf, did not have a reputation worth ruining. "What do you want?" Draco snapped, glaring at his teacher hatefully.

"Don't tell Narcissa," Diggory said softly.

"What?" Draco asked in confusion. He hadn't known what Diggory was going to ask for--money, perhaps, or simply for Draco not to tell the Headmaster that a teacher was sleeping with the mother of one of his students--but he had not expected this.


Part 64

***

Afterword: Obviously, Snape's birthday doesn't match his official canon birthday--I wrote this before JKR had revealed it. I also randomly chose a date for Lupin's birthday in a later chapter.