FIC: Aftermaths, Part 68

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 68
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: ~9,810
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 and Aric serve detention at the clinic.

Part 67 (Previous chapters can be found under the aftermaths tag.)

***

Aric felt like shit the morning after his drinking binge. His only consolation was that Draco seemed to feel even worse. And Lupin's amused little smiles didn't do anything to make Aric feel better. Snape was furious, but the stupid werewolf seemed to find the whole thing very funny--that was a Gryffindor for you. Of course, Aric felt rather stupid himself for getting caught, but it was all Malfoy's fault. If Malfoy hadn't followed him and started that fight, he probably wouldn't have gotten caught, Aric self-righteously told himself. After all, he'd been pretty good at evading trouble at Durmstrang.

Still, he should've had the foresight to obtain a hangover potion ahead of time. Since Snape was hardly going to give him one or let him brew one, Aric was stuck with his headache and nausea. He drank some watered-down tea and nibbled on some dry toast at breakfast as the other Slytherins giggled and smirked. He would've loved to wipe those smirks off their faces, but he figured he was in enough trouble at the moment, and besides, his head hurt too much to start a fight.

Aric didn't know what Snape had said to Draco, but the other boy arrived at the Great Hall looking very pale, with reddened eyes, as if he'd been crying. Snape was scary, but Aric had never seen him make a student cry before, although there were stories about him having driven a few sensitive first-years to tears in the past. Or had Snape and Lupin been discussing some personal matter with Draco, something upsetting enough to make a cynical Slytherin cry? Aric recalled that Lupin had sent him out of the office when Draco started pitching a fit about serving detention with Master Diggory. Aric frowned as he wondered what Draco's problem with the werewolf was. Aric's memory of the night before was a little blurry, but he vaguely recollected Draco saying something about Diggory having stained the Malfoy family's honor, which made no sense. As far as Aric knew, the werewolf had never done anything to hurt the Malfoys except to fight against the Death Eaters, and Aric didn't think that Draco held a grudge about that.

But whatever had happened in the office after Aric left, Draco seemed very humbled. He didn't snap at his housemates for laughing at him, and when Dylan asked him how he was feeling, he meekly replied, "I'm okay, thanks."

His friends looked pleasantly surprised to hear something other than a snide or sullen remark from him. "Well, you don't look so good," Damien said with a grin, "but you are still in one piece, which is more than I expected to see once Snape got through with you!"

Dylan, Blaise, and Theo laughed in a good-natured manner, and Draco smiled hesitantly. In an almost timid manner, he said, "Listen, Rosier, I've been banned from the Pitch for two weeks as part of my detention. Will you take charge of the team while I'm gone?"

"Sure, Draco," Dylan replied. "I'll make sure to give you reports on how the practices are going." Draco looked pleased to hear Dylan still deferring to him as team Captain even if he was temporarily in disgrace.

Malfoy and his friends seemed to have made up. How nice for them, Aric thought disgruntledly. Which made Aric the sole pariah in Slytherin once again. He missed his friends at Durmstrang, but even if they'd been around, he didn't think that he could have confided in any of them about the marriage alliance. They wouldn't understand why he was so opposed to it. They might sympathize with him a little about having to marry a girl he didn't like, but they wouldn't consider that grounds to turn down the alliance. They all coveted a job in the Ministry, or its equivalent in their home countries.

Aric managed to get through his classes somehow, in spite of his hangover. He was feeling a little better by lunch, at least until Lupin caught up with him and drew him aside as he was leaving the Great Hall.

"What do you want?" Aric asked sullenly.

"I know that your parents are trying to arrange a marriage for you," Lupin said bluntly.

"How did you find out about that?" Aric asked, too startled to deny it.

Lupin smiled. "Lady Selima hears all the gossip in the pureblood world, and there is the fact that Professor Sinistra said she heard you shouting something about not wanting to get married last night."

Aric groaned; it was all Malfoy's fault. If it wasn't for Malfoy, Aric could have gotten drunk in quiet solitude last night. "It's none of your damned business," Aric snarled at Lupin. That would have earned him another detention from Snape, but Lupin just smiled at him kindly.

"I'd like to help you if I can, Aric," Lupin said.

"How could you possibly help me?" Aric asked scornfully.

"Well, for one thing, I could be a friend and provide a sympathetic ear when you need someone to talk to," Lupin offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Aric sneered.

Unperturbed, Lupin continued, "And while your parents are not likely to listen to me, I do have a few influential friends in the Ministry."

Aric stared at Lupin, suddenly remembering that Lupin was friends with Arthur Weasley. Almost against his will, he felt a sudden surge of hope. "You'd ask the Minister to get my parents to call off the marriage?" he asked incredulously.

"I can't make any promises," Lupin cautioned, "and the Minister has many important matters to occupy his time, chiefly Master Diggory's trial. But I think he would be sympathetic, and together perhaps we could come up with some sort of alternative to the marriage alliance that would keep your family happy."

Hope, Aric found, was a surprisingly painful emotion. On one hand, he was filled with joy at the thought of being able to escape the marriage alliance, but on the other hand, the prospect of failure hurt even more in comparison. He didn't know if he could bear to be offered false hope and have his dreams shattered a second time. Maybe it was better to just resign himself to the inevitable.

"I don't need your help," Aric said sullenly, but some small, desperate part of him was unwilling to give up completely. "But do whatever you like," he added, in a tone of feigned indifference, as if he didn't care one way or the other.

"All right," Lupin said with a smile, and Aric had a sneaking suspicion that he had not fooled Lupin one bit. "Don't forget to meet at my office afterschool for your detention."

Aric showed up at the appointed time to find the others waiting for him. Draco had a sulky expression on his face and was pointedly avoiding even looking at Master Diggory, who looked as if he didn't want to be here any more than Draco did. Lupin, however, seemed as cheerful as ever.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get going, shall we?" he asked in a chirpy voice, and Diggory looked like he was seriously thinking about strangling the other werewolf.

They took the Floo to the clinic, where they were greeted by Takeshi. "Why, hello," he said to Lupin and Diggory. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Then he caught sight of Aric and Draco stepping through the fireplace behind their teachers, and he smiled knowingly. "Ah, I see. Don't tell me that you have detention again, Aric."

"It's his fault," Aric said, pointing at Draco.

"Me?" Draco protested. "It was you who bought the Firewhiskey!"

"Nobody told you to sneak out of the dorm and follow me!" Aric retorted. "And it was you who started the fight!"

"I did not! You were the one who attacked me!"

The two boys finally broke off their argument when they heard their teachers laughing at them. "Well, I guess I don't have to ask why you're in detention," Takeshi said. Aric scowled and flushed, feeling as if he'd been made to look like a stupid kid in front of his older friend.

"How have you been, Takeshi?" Lupin asked. "Haruko thinks you're working too hard."

"My mother worries too much," Takeshi said lightly, but Aric noticed that he did look a little tired.

"Well, we've brought two of Severus's best Potions students to help you out today," Lupin said magnanimously. "And for the rest of the week as well."

Takeshi smiled mischievously at Aric and Draco. "How generous of the two of you to volunteer." He held out his hand to Draco, saying, "I'm Takeshi Kimura. I'm not sure if you remember me from Hogwarts."

Draco shook his hand and said, "Uh, sure," although he looked as though he was having trouble placing Takeshi's face. "Ravenclaw, right? And you were at the Career Fair, too--you work for St. Mungo's."

"That's right," Takeshi replied. Aric noticed that he didn't ask who Draco was, but he probably had a better memory than Draco, and besides, the Malfoys were famous--or rather, infamous--thanks to Lucius Malfoy's membership in the Death Eaters. "I just finished brewing a Healing Potion a little while ago," Takeshi said. "It should be cool enough to bottle now, if you'd like to help me."

So they left Lupin and Diggory in the lobby of the clinic, and followed Takeshi to his workroom. Draco and Aric ladled potion from the cauldron into bottles and handed them to Takeshi, who stoppered them and put them away on a shelf.

"So what's the latest gossip at Hogwarts?" Takeshi asked casually.

"Dietrich is getting married," Draco told him, sounding pleased to be passing on a juicy piece of gossip.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Aric hissed, but it was too late.

A bottle of Healing Potion slipped through Takeshi's hands and shattered on the floor with a loud crash. Draco cursed and jumped back, trying to avoid being splashed with the spilled potion.

Lupin and Diggory suddenly appeared in the doorway of the workroom. "Is everyone okay in here?" Lupin asked.

Takeshi just stood there for a moment, a blank look on his face, then he blinked and said, "Yes, we're fine, Remus. I'm just a bit clumsy." He laughed and said, "Tell me to sit down before you give me such shocking news next time, Draco!"

"Shocking news?" Diggory asked.

"That Aric is getting married," Takeshi said. He smiled brightly at Aric and said cheerfully, "Congratulations! I didn't even know that you were dating anyone. Who is the lucky lady?"

"Nothing's been decided yet," Aric growled, his face turning red. He glared at Draco, his hands clenching into fists, fighting a strong urge to throttle the other boy. Only the presence of Lupin and Diggory prevented him from doing it. "My parents are thinking about arranging a betrothal for me, but nothing's been finalized yet. Big-mouth Malfoy is jumping the gun a little."

Draco shrugged, looking unrepentant. "Last night you sounded pretty certain it was going to happen."

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Aric snapped. "It's none of your business."

"Um...perhaps we should clean up the spill?" Lupin suggested diffidently.

"Oh, of course!" Takeshi exclaimed. "We wouldn't want anyone to get cut on the broken glass." He cast a quick cleaning spell to clear away the mess. "Well, let's get back to work, shall we?"

Aric frowned; the mediwizard sounded almost as annoyingly chipper as Lupin, which was a little out of character for him. He didn't know why Takeshi should sound so happy about Aric getting married, and Aric didn't know why Takeshi being happy about it should annoy him so much. {It's all Malfoy's fault,} he said silently, and distracted himself with thoughts of wrapping his hands around Malfoy's throat and wringing his scrawny little neck.

"So, which girl do your parents have in mind?" Takeshi asked, still with that oddly sunny smile on his face. "One of the Slytherins? Pansy Parkinson, perhaps, or Millicent Bulstrode? No, I heard that Millicent got engaged to Miles Bletchley over the Christmas holidays..."

"She's not a Slytherin," Aric replied in a flat voice. "She went to Beauxbatons. Her name is Miranda Tierney."

"Tierney," Takeshi mused. "I don't think I know her--oh, wait. Does her father work at the Ministry?"

"Yeah," Aric said glumly. "He's the Head of International Magical Cooperation."

"I've met him," Takeshi said, frowning a little. "He's very vocal about backing Arthur Weasley's policies, and he shook hands with some volunteers for the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program at a photo shoot for the Daily Prophet, but I could sense the disdain beneath the smile he put on for the cameras."

"He's a typical pureblood," Diggory said with a cynical smile. "He despises us for having tainted blood, but he'll do whatever it takes to suck up to the Minister. It's really no different from the way people used to suck up to Fudge, but at least it works in our favor this time."

"I suppose I should be glad he's supporting Arthur, no matter what the reason," Takeshi said, still frowning, "but I really wanted to wash my hand after he shook it. He was just oozing so much false sincerity that it almost felt slimy." Diggory just laughed.

"We do the best we can with what we have," Lupin said philosophically. "At least he's helping us, even if it's unwillingly. We had might as well make use of him."

"That's very Slytherin of you, Remus," Takeshi observed.

Lupin grinned. "When you live with a Slytherin, you tend to pick up some of their sneaky and cynical ways."

Lupin and Diggory left the room, and Aric, Draco, and Takeshi continued bottling the Healing Potion. "So what is your future fiancee like?" Takeshi asked.

"She's not my fiancee yet!" Aric snapped. "And how should I know what she's like? I haven't seen her since I was seven or eight years old!"

"Your parents want you to marry a girl you don't know?" Takeshi asked, looking startled and concerned.

"I told you it was an arranged marriage," Aric muttered sullenly.

"Well, yes, I know that some of the pureblood families still arrange marriages for their children, but I assumed it would be someone that you were at least familiar with," Takeshi said, still looking disturbed. "There is only so much pure blood to go around, after all," he added, quoting a common saying. "Most of the old Slytherin families know each other very well."

"Aric's fiancee went to Beauxbatons," Draco said. "So she hasn't spent much time in England for several years."

"I said, she's not my fiancee yet!" Aric growled.

Takeshi frowned. "Arranged marriages were once common in my homeland, too, although most young couples marry for love these days. But in the past, one's marriage partner was chosen to make an advantageous alliance that would bring wealth and honor to the clan, as well as for the magical talent that they would pass down to their children, or perhaps to end a feud by wedding members of two warring families. Love had very little to do with it, and I think it's very sad. Perhaps that's why we have so many tales about star-crossed lovers. One of my favorite stories is literally about two stars: there's an old legend that says that the star Altair is Prince Hikoboshi, the Herdsman, and the star Vega is Princess Orihime, the Weaver. They fell in love and married, but they were so enraptured with each other that they neglected their duties. Orihime's father, the King of the Heavens, grew angry and separated them, placing them on opposite sides of the Celestial River--the Milky Way. But once every year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the celestial birds form a bridge across the river and allow the two lovers to meet--but only if the sky is clear. If it is raining, the birds cannot form the the bridge, and the lovers must wait for another year. We have the Tanabata festival in Japan every year to celebrate the lovers' reunion. We write wishes on pieces of paper and hang them from bamboo trees, hoping they will come true, as the lovers' wish to be reunited was granted."

"Very romantic," Draco said, looking bored. "I'm sure the Slytherin girls would love that story."

"It is very romantic," Takeshi agreed, unoffended. "But it's also very sad, that the lovers can only meet once a year."

Aric thought to himself gloomily that maybe his marriage to Miranda would be more tolerable if he only had to see her once a year.

"Are you sure that you want to go through with this, Aric?" Takeshi asked, looking anxious. "You don't seem very happy about your proposed marriage."

"I don't have a choice," Aric said curtly. "It's my duty to my family." He suddenly felt sick, even though his hangover was finally gone. He wanted to scream, "Don't you understand that I don't want to do this?!" But all he said was, "Will everyone please stop talking about my marriage? Which has not, may I remind you once again, been finalized yet? The whole thing could still fall through." Although Aric doubted that he would be that lucky.

Takeshi put away the last bottle of Healing Potion and obligingly changed the subject. "Well then, now that that's done, maybe the two of you could start a batch of Elixir of Vitality for me. You did learn to make that in Professor Snape's class, right?"

"Of course," Draco replied in a slightly condescending tone. "It's a simple enough potion to make."

Takeshi just smiled. "Great. You'll find the ingredients in that cupboard. And while you're working on that, maybe I can get a head start on next month's Wolfsbane Potion."

"Why are we making this?" Draco asked curiously as they worked on the potion. "I thought that werewolves didn't get sick very often."

"They heal wounds quickly," Takeshi said, "and they don't get sick very often--at least not since Professors Snape and Kamiyama improved the Wolfsbane Potion. But they're not invincible, and they can become weak or ill, especially when they don't get enough to eat. Things are better now than they were when Fudge was in office, but some of the werewolves are too proud to accept charity from Werewolf Support. And even for the ones that do, the donated foodstuffs that we get don't necessarily provide a complete and balanced diet. The Elixir helps make up for some of the lost nutrients, although it's not a replacement for eating right. I'm especially concerned about the children."

"Children?" Draco asked, startled.

"Yes, there are some children in Lukas's pack," Takeshi confirmed. "Some are human children of werewolf parents, and others were infected with lycanthropy at an early age. Malnutrition alone can do permanent damage to the health of a growing child, but combined with the stress of the monthly transformations, it's even more serious."

"How do you know so much about werewolves?" Draco asked.

"Well, I was assigned to the Creature-Induced Injuries section when I first started working at St. Mungo's," Takeshi replied. "Some of our patients were the victims of werewolf attacks. And then my parents became sponsors of the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program, so I started volunteering at the clinic, and I got to know most of Lukas's pack pretty well."

Aric sullenly worked on the Elixir as he listened to Takeshi and Draco chat about werewolves. Under normal circumstances, he might have found the subject matter interesting and joined in the conversation, but today it got on his nerves. All this information would have been fascinating and useful for a mediwizard, but since he wasn't going to become one, it only served to remind him of what he was losing. And it irked him to no end to see Takeshi and Draco chatting like old friends. Takeshi was supposed to be Aric's friend, dammit, so why was he getting so chummy with Malfoy? Then he realized that he felt jealous, which made him even angrier, because there was no real reason for him to feel jealous--none that he was willing to admit to, anyway. So he stood there stewing and fuming in silence, thinking about various ways to kill Malfoy; strangulation was too good for him.

"Have you considered applying for a job at St. Mungo's when you graduate?" Takeshi asked Draco, to Aric's horror. It would be utterly unfair for Draco to become a mediwizard when Aric couldn't!

"I don't think they'd want to hire me," Draco said, flushing a little. "And besides, I haven't got a Healing Gift."

"Oh, I see," Takeshi said sympathetically. "Well, I can put in a good word for you with my boss if you like. Healer Smethwyck judges people by their abilities, not their parentage. It's true that without a Gift, you couldn't become a full Healer, but a hospital always needs someone who can brew potions. Although you might want to get some advanced training first, an apprenticeship with a Master, perhaps?"

"Professor Snape's found a couple of Potions Masters willing to take me on," Draco said. "But they live overseas, and I'd hate to leave my mum all alone. I did get a job offer from Cassidy Sinclair. You know, the guy who invented the magical music boxes and recording spheres?"

"And the toy wolf cubs!" Takeshi laughed. "That sounds like fun."

Now Aric was even more jealous than before, but since he had an acceptable motivation for it this time, he didn't try to fight it. He really hoped that Draco took the job with Sinclair, because if he went to work at St. Mungo's, Aric really would have to kill him. And how dare Takeshi, who was supposed to be his friend, offer to help his rival? But Takeshi probably just felt sorry for Malfoy, and he didn't know that Aric was not going to become a mediwizard after all. Aric dreaded breaking the news to him, not just because Takeshi would be disappointed in him, but because it would make the whole marriage alliance all too real when Aric wanted to pretend that it would just go away. Or maybe what he was afraid of was that Takeshi wouldn't be disappointed in him, that he wouldn't care one way or the other if Aric came to work at St. Mungo's or not...

A sudden commotion from the front of the clinic interrupted his thoughts: a barrage of high-pitched laughter, shouting, and yelping. Takeshi didn't look alarmed, but he hurried out to the lobby, and Aric and Draco followed him.

The yelping came from three toy wolf cubs that were running around barking excitedly and playfully nipping at the heels of the people in the room. The laughter and shouting came from three children. Aric recognized the dark-haired little boy that Diggory was tossing into the air as Max, whom he remembered from his first detention at the clinic. There were two blonde children, a boy and girl who appeared to be a couple of years older than Max, tugging at Diggory's robes and clamoring for a turn.

"Me next, me next!" they chanted in almost perfect unison. "Come on, Uncle Lukas, me next!"

"Uncle Lukas?" Draco asked, staring incredulously as the fierce werewolf leader played with the three children.

"Oh, he's very good with the children," Takeshi said cheerfully. "They all love him."

Max's mother Rachel laughingly protested, "Don't drop them, Lukas!"

"Have I ever dropped any of them before?" Diggory asked with a grin, looking more happy and at ease than Aric had ever seen him at school. But he set the child he was tossing, the little blonde girl, gently back down on the ground, much to her disappointment. "So what brings you here today?"

"It's my day off, and I was supposed to be baby-sitting the terrible twosome while their mother is at work," Rachel replied. "But someone called in sick at the Leaky Cauldron, and they asked me to come in. Would you mind watching them for a couple of hours, until Katherine gets off work? She'll come pick them up at the clinic and watch Max until I finish my shift."

"Of course," Diggory said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Go on, don't worry; we'll watch the little monsters for you."

Rachel thanked him and left, and the children caught sight of Takeshi. "Uncle Takeshi!" they shouted, and ran over to hug him. Their eyes widened with curiosity when they spotted Draco and Aric.

"This is Max, and Lyra, and Lancelot," Takeshi said, introducing the children. When Draco raised his eyebrows slightly, Takeshi grinned and said, "The twins' mother is partial to exotic names."

"Everyone calls me Lance," the blond boy said.

"What does exotic mean?" Max asked.

"Unusual," Takeshi replied. "And these are my friends, Aric and Draco, from Hogwarts school. They've come to help me brew potions today."

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!" Lyra said excitedly. "Mama says that even werewolves can go to school now! She says that Uncle Lukas is a teacher there now!"

"That's right," Takeshi said, affectionately stroking her hair.

Lance wrinkled his nose. "Are you brewing the Wolfsbane Potion? Isn't there anything you can do to make it taste less gross?"

"I'm afraid not," Takeshi said sympathetically. "It's like medicine, and medicine usually doesn't taste very good. But you can have some tea and honey afterwards to wash the taste out of your mouth. I'll send some to your mother with the next batch of potion."

Diggory strode over, saying, "All right, you cubs, that's enough. Let Takeshi get back to work."

The three children immediately clustered around him. "I want a piggyback ride!" Max shouted.

"Me too, me too!" cried the twins.

"Now, how am I going to carry all three of you at the same time?" Diggory asked, pretending to look perplexed. "Okay, let's try it this way." He lifted Max onto his shoulders, then tucked one twin under each arm and walked off as the children shrieked with laughter.

Draco was still staring at his teacher in shock, and Lupin came over, looking amused. "You've never seen that side of Lukas, have you?" he asked softly. "But he's very good with young children. I've watched him with his first-year classes."

"Lukas is the leader of the pack," Takeshi explained. "That means he's like a father figure to the other werewolves. It's his duty to look after them and keep them safe."

"Hmmph!" Draco sniffed in his most arrogant pureblood manner. "I don't see how any of this matters to me."

Lupin sighed, looking sad but not surprised, and went to help Diggory look after the children. Aric and Draco went back to work with Takeshi. "So who was that woman?" Draco demanded. "Is she Master Diggory's girlfriend?" He sounded slightly offended by the idea, for some reason.

"Rachel?" Takeshi laughed. "She's Max's mother, and there's nothing going on between them." He added in a tone of gentle reproach, "Not that it would be any of our business if there were."

"But he kissed her," Draco said.

"On the cheek," Takeshi reminded him. "It doesn't really mean anything. All the werewolves are very affectionate with each other. I think it has something to do with the bond they share as packmates..."

He sounded like he was about to go off on another lecture about werewolf behavior, but Aric interrupted him. "Those two kids, the blonde ones--are they werewolves? They're so young."

Takeshi nodded, his expression solemn now. "Yes, the entire family was attacked by a feral werewolf a few years ago. It's rare for children that young to survive an attack, but their parents tried to shield them from the brunt of it. The father died; the mother and children survived but were turned."

Draco and Aric continued working on the Elixir in silence. Aric didn't know about Draco, but he found Takeshi's story both sobering and disturbing. It was difficult to imagine that the twins had suffered such a vicious attack; they seemed as cheerful and energetic as any normal child. Aric remembered his parents reading about Arthur Weasley's equal rights bill in the Daily Prophet and being outraged at the thought of treating monsters like people. Aric had agreed with them at the time, but he found that it was getting harder to think of the werewolves as less than human now that he had met some of them. It was one thing to say that werewolves should not be allowed to work, and another to realize that the prohibition could result in starving children. Nor did he like the thought of his two teachers being locked up in Azkaban as dangerous beasts--things had never gotten that far, but he knew that a lot of purebloods thought that the werewolves should all be imprisoned, or even exterminated.

Draco looked like he was having similar troubling thoughts. Takeshi filled up the silence by chattering about the potions he was using to treat the werewolves, the difficulties of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, and his parents' plan to expand their restaurant business by offering take-out and delivery service. Aric couldn't remember the mediwizard ever being this talkative before; he was babbling as badly as Lupin at his most annoying, and Aric began to notice a frenetic and brittle quality to his voice beneath the outward good cheer. He tried very hard not to think about what might have upset Takeshi, and whether Takeshi being upset about the thing that he didn't want to think about made Aric feel better or worse.

He tried to tune out his friend's voice--and his own thoughts--by silently cataloging potion ingredients in his head. When he ran out of potion ingredients, he started going over Quidditch statistics. Before long, he was starting to get a headache, and he looked up with relief when Lupin popped into the room and said, "Time to go! I need to take our two miscreants back to school before dinner starts."

Takeshi took a look at the cauldron of Elixir. "Good timing; it looks like the potion's just about done. Thank you for your help." As the two boys started to turn away to leave with Lupin, Takeshi called, "Wait just a minute before you go!" He plucked two small jars from a shelf and handed them to Aric and Draco. "Healing salve for your bruises," he said, motioning to their faces, which still bore the marks of last night's brawl. He smiled and winked, adding, "But don't tell Professor Snape that I gave it to you."

"You're not still afraid of him, are you, Takeshi?" Lupin asked with a grin.

"Remus," Takeshi said with a rueful smile, "I don't think that any of the Professor's students ever stop fearing him, no matter how old they get!"

Lupin laughed. "Well, Tonks might be an exception, but overall, I think you're right."

Takeshi grabbed a couple of books off another shelf. "And here, these are for you, Aric--my old texts on healing potions and spells. I was going to owl them to you, but I'll give them to you now since you're here. I used these to study for my N.E.W.T.s and they were very helpful, so I thought I'd pass them on to you."

So he wasn't going to be allowed to put it off any longer; that didn't really surprise Aric, with the way his luck had been going lately. "Keep them," he said in a hollow voice. "I'm not going to become a mediwizard."

"But--" Takeshi started to say, looking puzzled.

"That's what the marriage alliance is about," Aric explained, feeling worse with each passing second. "My future father-in-law is going to get me a job at the Ministry."

"But you were so passionate about becoming a mediwizard!" Takeshi argued. "Is that really what you want?"

"No, it's not what I want, damn it!" Aric shouted in frustration. "But that's what my family's decided on, and I don't have a choice!"

"I could try to talk to your parents," Takeshi offered. "Or I guess they wouldn't listen to a lowly mediwizard, but maybe if the Head Healer--"

"Don't you get it?" Aric shouted. "Even if they offered me a job as Head of St. Mungo's, that still wouldn't be equal to a Ministry job in my parents' eyes!" The sorrow in Takeshi's eyes caused Aric's anger to drain away. "I'm sorry," he said softly, knowing that he was apologizing for more than not taking a job at St. Mungo's. "But I will inherit the Dietrich title someday; I have a duty to my family. I don't have a choice."

"We always have choices," Takeshi said, just as quietly, "although the alternatives are not always pleasant. But I do not fault you for the choice you have made. I understand the demands of clan loyalty, and I'm not sure that I would not have done the same thing in your place." Then he said in a voice that sounded unnervingly like a formal farewell, "I wish you joy in your life, Aric."

Aric could not imagine ever feeling joy in his life again, but he managed to get a hoarse "Thank you" out past the lump in his throat.

Draco was beginning to look at them strangely, and Takeshi grinned and said cheerfully, "Don't forget to invite me to your wedding!"

Aric pasted a smile on his face and replied, "Of course not," knowing that there was no way in hell that he was going to invite Takeshi to his wedding. It would be like rubbing salt into his wounds.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Lupin said pleasantly, and Aric miserably followed him to the fireplace to head back to Hogwarts, thinking to himself that Snape could not possibly have found a worse punishment for him than this.

***

Left alone at last, Takeshi sank into a chair and began to laugh, a soft and slightly hysterical sound. He thought to himself that the gods must be playing some sort of cosmic joke on him, and wondered if they got some sort of pleasure out of torturing hapless mortals--like the tales of Eros, or Cupid, who would shoot his arrows into the hearts of humans, sometimes causing one person to develop an unrequited love for another just to amuse himself.

He finally realized that the wolf in his dream had been Aric. He was not sure why Aric had taken the form of a wolf in the dream; maybe because he had a little of the predatory nature of a wolf.

Or because he had a wolf's loyalty to his pack. Aric was a spoiled, arrogant, self-centered pureblood boy, but he had just proven that he took his duty to his clan very seriously. He would never go against them, not even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.

Takeshi continued to laugh at himself, wondering how he could ever have fallen in love with such a person. He had liked Aric in spite of his faults, had seen a hint of loneliness and vulnerability beneath the arrogance. He had seen the potential for Aric to become more than just another pampered pureblood, and had been pleased when the boy had said that he wanted to become a mediwizard. It was a good sign, Takeshi had thought, for Aric to show interest in a profession that involved helping people. He had regarded Aric with the affection he might have felt for a younger sibling, but he would never in a million years have thought of him as a potential lover.

Particularly not after the way he had gloated about his cousin's homosexuality being exposed, and the way he had so casually and callously said that it was all right for guys to "mess around" with each other "for fun," but that it could never develop into anything serious because every pureblood was expected to make a "proper" marriage. That had been the first time that Takeshi had truly gotten angry at Aric, although it was a typical form of pureblood prejudice, no worse than their disdain for the Muggle-born or non-humans. But Aric's offhand insult had hurt Takeshi deeply; he had told himself at the time that it was because it had hurt to know that his friend might despise him the same way that he despised Theodore if he knew that Takeshi was gay.

He didn't know exactly when Aric had become so important to him, could not place the exact moment when a casual friendship had turned into something more. But when Draco had blurted out that Aric was getting married, Takeshi could no longer hide his feelings from himself. His heart had seemed to stop for a moment, and his whole world had shattered and fallen apart the way that the potion bottle had shattered on the floor.

He had forced himself to smile and congratulate Aric in a voice that sounded so falsely cheerful that he couldn't believe the two boys didn't see through him immediately. Aric was not happy about the forthcoming marriage, but that was little comfort, as he seemed resigned to go through with it. Takeshi had found himself babbling like an idiot, going on and on about werewolves, potions, his parents' restaurant, anything to fill up the awkward silence. Anything to prevent himself from saying the words that he really wanted to say: Don't marry that girl; stay with me; I love you.

Duty to one's family was very important to the Japanese wizards, and Takeshi couldn't ask Aric to give up his family for him, and he knew that the Dietriches would probably disown Aric if he not only turned down the marriage but also took a male lover. Or perhaps he would have been selfish enough to ask Aric to make such a sacrifice if he thought Aric would go through with it, but he knew that Aric never would. He didn't know whether it was better or worse that Aric would not become a mediwizard; he felt sorry for the boy, that he had to give up his dream and his link to his late uncle, but on the other hand, it would be agony to have to see Aric at work every day, knowing that he belonged to someone else.

If Aric had been happy about the marriage, or if he had been unhappy but shown no sign of interest in Takeshi, it might have been easier to let go. But he had seen the same pain in Aric's eyes that he felt himself, and they had stared at each other helplessly, with mutual unspoken longing and despair in their eyes.

Draco had seemed distracted by some sort of personal problem, which was perhaps why he had not picked up on the tension between Aric and Takeshi earlier, but he had finally begun to look at them oddly at that point. So Takeshi had grinned (it had felt more like a grimace, but it had seemed to fool Draco) and said, "Don't forget to invite me to your wedding!" He had wanted to kick himself as soon as the words had left his mouth; could there be any worse torture than watching the man you loved marry someone else?

Takeshi laughed at himself for being so stupid. Well, if Aric actually did send him an invitation, he would invent some sort of excuse not to go--an "emergency" at St. Mungo's, perhaps.

It was stupid to fall in love with a shallow and bigoted pureblood, even if Aric wasn't quite as bad as most of his peers. It was ridiculous to fall in love with a schoolboy who hadn't even graduated yet, even if, as Lukas had pointed out once, he was no longer a boy but legally an adult.

Just as stupid as falling in love with a faceless lover in a dream.

He was still sitting there, laughing and crying at the same time a few minutes later when Lukas came to check on him.

"Takeshi?"

Takeshi jumped, and hastily removed his glasses and ran his sleeve across his eyes. "Lukas! I thought you left with Remus."

"Katherine hasn't come to pick up the kids yet," Lukas said, and Takeshi realized that should have been obvious, since the werewolf was holding Lyra in his arms. Max and Lance came over to look at Takeshi with equal amounts of curiosity and concern.

"Are you crying, Uncle Takeshi?"

"Why are you crying? Are you sad?"

Takeshi wiped the tears from his eyes and put his glasses back on. "Yes, I'm a little sad, but I'm all right now. I just...heard some bad news today."

"What kind of bad news?" Max asked.

"Did somebody die?" Lance asked, with morbid curiosity.

"Nobody died," Takeshi assured them. "A friend of mine is...ah...moving away, and I won't see him anymore, and that made me sad."

The children were about to pepper him with more questions, but just then a woman's voice called out, "Hello? Lukas?"

"Mama!" the twins cried.

Lukas set Lyra down on the ground, and the twins ran off to greet their mother, with Max following after them. Lukas gave Takeshi a knowing look, and the mediwizard felt his face turning red. "I...um...ah..."

"It's all right," Lukas said quietly. "I understand what it's like to want something you can't have." And with that mysterious statement, he went to greet the twins' mother, leaving Takeshi alone in the workroom.

***

Draco was still sulking, but also looking thoughtful when they returned to Hogwarts, and Lupin felt rather pleased with himself. He had wanted Draco to see Lukas as a person and not just a teacher or the man threatening to take the place of his father. There was a different side to him when he interacted with his pack, especially the children, a more tender and patient side that the students never saw. Lupin knew that the werewolves stopped by the clinic often, but he had not left things to chance. He had bribed the staff at the Leaky Cauldron to call in Rachel; the maid on duty was more than happy to take a paid day off. He had told them that he was doing a favor for Rachel, who needed the overtime, and it was true that she worked extra hours when she could. Her salary was just barely enough to support her and Max, although the donations from Werewolf Support helped. She was determined to send Max to Hogwarts when he was old enough, and was putting aside what little savings she could for his school supplies and uniforms, which Lupin knew from experience could add up to quite a costly amount. He remembered how some of his classmates had mocked him for being a "charity case," and he could understand why Rachel did not want to send her son to school with hand-me-downs or donations.

The staff at the Leaky Cauldron assumed that he was helping out a fellow werewolf by allowing her to earn some extra money, and that Rachel was too proud to accept a direct handout from him. They thought it was a bit eccentric of him, but didn't mind accepting his bribe.

Lupin knew that Max adored Lukas, and sent a few owls to make sure word got out that Lukas was stopping by the clinic this afternoon. It had worked out beautifully, with Rachel bringing not just Max, but Lyra and Lance, too. Draco had looked first shocked, and then thoughtful as he watched Lukas play with the children. And he had gotten downright indignant when Lukas kissed Rachel goodbye. Lupin recognized it for what it was, a brotherly peck on the cheek, but Draco seemed to think it was something more, and seemed offended that Lukas was being disloyal to Narcissa, even though he was the one who had instigated their breakup.

Draco pretended that he didn't care, of course, but Lupin was sure that at the very least, he had given the boy food for thought. Lupin felt very smug that his plan had gone so well, congratulating himself on having picked up some Slytherin sneakiness. The only thing that kept him from outright gloating was Aric's and Takeshi's obvious distress.

After Aric's reaction to the proposed betrothal, Lupin had suspected that he might be upset about more than just giving up a career as a mediwizard, and he clearly didn't care about any of the Slytherin girls; the only person he was close to was Takeshi. His suspicions had been confirmed, and it was obvious that Takeshi cared about Aric, too.

But Lupin wasn't sure how he could help them. It was painful to watch Takeshi smiling and pretending to congratulate Aric on his engagement, and just as painful to watch Aric staring at Takeshi as if the mediwizard was already lost to him. Aric was still angry about the marriage, but seemed to have resigned himself to go through with it, and it didn't seem like Takeshi was going to ask him to do otherwise. He wanted to grab them both by the scruffs of their necks and give them a good shake. He wanted to shout at them not to give up so easily, not to throw away a chance at love, as he and Severus had nearly thrown away their own chance.

But it was asking a lot of a young pureblood to go against his family and risk disownment. Severus had been willing, but then again, Severus had hated his family, and Aric loved his. It would not be so easy for him to defy them.

Lupin sighed. Well, maybe he and Arthur could find a way for Aric to avoid this marriage alliance. Although, Lupin realized with a sinking feeling of dismay, he would only be postponing the inevitable. Aric was the son of the Dietrich heir, and eventually he would be expected to marry and produce an heir of his own. Even if his marriage to Miranda was called off, eventually the Dietriches would arrange another for him. There was little Lupin could do other than to be supportive; ultimately Aric would have to choose between love and duty. Or perhaps more precisely, between his love for his family and his love for Takeshi, and Lupin was afraid he knew which one was going to win out.

Lupin doubted that he could sway Aric's decision, and even if he could, he wasn't sure that he should. It was asking a lot, for someone to give up their entire family and the life they had known, especially someone who had grown up in the rigid, formalized world of the pureblood nobility. Lupin himself had been torn between his lover and his friends; how much more difficult must it be to risk losing your family? Even if Aric did give up his family for Takeshi, their relationship might not survive the strain if Aric came to resent the sacrifices he had made for his lover.

Lupin was beginning to understand the magnitude of the choice Selima had been faced with as a young girl. She had chosen duty where Lupin would have chosen love. But he should be grateful for that decision, because it had resulted in Severus. He was sorry for the pain that Selima and Prospero had suffered, but he shuddered at the thought that his lover would never have been born if Selima had remained with her school sweetheart.

Lupin sighed; pureblood politics were so complicated. Well, if he could not help Aric, at least he might be able to help Draco. He went to the dungeon and proudly told Severus about his clever plan.

But Snape frowned, looking concerned and a little angry. "Lupin, don't you understand that your attempts to meddle might well have made things worse?"

"I don't understand," Lupin said. "I thought it would be good for Draco to see Lukas--"

"Behaving like a loving father?" Snape asked pointedly. "Like the father Lucius never was? It's dangerous, Lupin. He might well be drawn to Diggory, but he might also hate himself for being disloyal to his father, and he might resent Diggory even more for being the father that he wished Lucius was."

"Oh," Lupin said in a small voice, not feeling very clever at all. "I...I didn't think..."

"That's obvious, Lupin," Snape said in a scathing voice, but his expression softened a little when he saw how guilty and miserable Lupin looked. He put his arms around Lupin, saying in a tone of ironic humor, "This is what happens when a Gryffindor tries to think like a Slytherin."

Lupin leaned into the embrace, resting his head on Snape's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, feeling very chastened. "I didn't think things through. Perhaps I'm the one who should get detention instead of the boys."

Snape pressed his lips against Lupin's hair. "Hmm," he purred in his low, husky voice, "I must admit, I find the idea quite...stimulating. But I'm afraid you would enjoy it too much, which rather defeats the purpose."

Lupin laughed, feeling a little better. "Truly, Severus, I am sorry. But Draco seemed more thoughtful than angry. Maybe...that is, I hope I didn't do too much damage."

"It was a clever bit of manipulation," Snape admitted, "and it might work. But it's risky, because it could go either way. It's rather like those reckless, harebrained moves that Potter pulls in Quidditch--the sort that either result in winning the game or breaking your neck." He scowled. "Lucky for that Gryffindor brat, he has unholy good luck."

"I promise next time I'll consult with you first," Lupin said.

"You're not bad for a Gryffindor," Snape conceded, "but a good Slytherin always thinks several moves ahead, and you were only looking directly ahead to the next move. That's why you're so bad at chess, Lupin."

"I'll remember that, Severus," Lupin promised.

"And besides," Snape said gruffly, looking away and not meeting Lupin's eyes, "if I really wanted a master of deception as my lover, I wouldn't be sleeping with you."

In Snape-talk that meant "I love you the way you are." Lupin hugged Snape and kissed him. "Why Severus, that might be the most romantic thing you've ever said to me!"

"Crazy Gryffindor," Snape grumbled, and Lupin laughed and kissed him again. "I want to help Draco, too, but you can't rush things," Snape said, turning serious once more. "He needs time to come to terms with his father's death. And it might help if Diggory wins his trial; as Lord of the Diggory estate, he'll be a slightly more acceptable mate for Narcissa, although we both know that isn't the real problem. And if Draco takes one of those overseas apprenticeships, perhaps he'll grow a little less dependent on his mother, and a little more inclined to let her live her own life."

Lupin sighed, "I hate waiting, but I guess you're right. It's just that I've wasted so many years of my life, and I don't want others to make the same mistake. Which reminds me..."

He told Snape about Aric and Takeshi, and Snape raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, that's a shock. I expected Mr. Kimura to have better taste in men."

"Severus!" Lupin said reprovingly.

Snape smiled, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lupin, but I don't think that this story will have a happy ending. Dietrich isn't the type to give up everything for love. The most they could hope for would be to carry on what is usually referred to as a 'discreet arrangement' after Aric is married."

Lupin grimaced. "As your mother initially suggested that we do. No, Takeshi isn't the type to settle for that kind of arrangement."

"He has too much pride," Snape agreed. "Besides, he deserves better." Lupin smiled at him tenderly, and Snape huffed, "Oh, don't go all Gryffindor on me, Lupin! Mr. Kimura was one of the few Potions students who never gave me any grief, and his parents are allies of mine. Of course I think he deserves better than to become the plaything of a pureblood heir."

"Aric deserves better, too," Lupin said softly, "than to be sacrificed as a pawn in a game of politics."

"Maybe," Snape said grudgingly. "But I would have more respect for him if he had the courage to fight back and become something more than a pawn."

"Perhaps he will develop that courage, Severus," Lupin said with more hope than he actually felt.

"Perhaps," Snape said gravely, although he didn't sound very optimistic, either. "We shall see."

***

Lupin released Lukas from detention supervision duty, and took the boys to the clinic alone for the rest of the week. The other werewolf was surprised, but didn't question him about it, perhaps afraid that Lupin might change his mind.

Draco seemed relieved, although he was still quiet and moody most of the time. However, he seemed to be making a better effort to get along with his housemates, and if he didn't always join in on their conversations or games, he didn't snap at them or insult them, either.

Aric was sullen and dejected, appearing to be too depressed to cause trouble or pick fights with the other students. Most of his housemates considered this a vast improvement over his normal behavior, but Lupin was worried about him. He was beginning to regret forcing the boys to work at the clinic for their detention, because he was also inadvertently punishing Takeshi. Lupin could see that it was painful for the young mediwizard to be around Aric, although he was very good at hiding it. However, Lupin had enough experience with covering up his own feelings to see through someone else's act.

He hadn't meant to hurt any of them, but he was afraid that his meddling might have had the opposite effect of what he'd intended, driving Draco and Lukas, and Aric and Takeshi farther apart rather than bringing them together.

Lupin sighed to himself. Was a happy ending really impossible? Slytherin cynicism told him "yes," but Gryffindor optimism wasn't ready to call it quits yet. He needed to be patient, he decided, and give all the parties involved some time to deal with their feelings and decide what was important to them. Draco and Aric in particular were dealing with some unfamiliar and turbulent emotions, and were probably not ready to make life-altering decisions right now.

Lupin did meet with Arthur to see if there was anything he could do to help Aric. He didn't mention Takeshi, of course, only Aric's desire to be a mediwizard and his reluctance to be pushed into a marriage with a girl he barely knew. "I sympathize, Remus," the Minister of Magic said, "but I can't exactly tell Edward whom his daughter should or shouldn't marry. If this boy really wants to become a mediwizard that badly, shouldn't he just be honest with his parents?"

"Probably, but you know how the old pureblood families are, Arthur," Lupin replied, smiling wryly.

"Yes, I know," Arthur sighed, "and I'm sure you do, too, having to deal with Selima Snape on a regular basis."

"I don't think that the Dietriches are quite as intimidating as Lady Selima--" Lupin said, and Arthur laughed.

"Few people are, Remus."

"--but I'm sure that Aric still finds it difficult to go against his parents' wishes," Lupin finished. "Is there anything we can do to at least buy him some time, to work up the courage to stand up to them? Or maybe he'll decide to sacrifice his own wishes for the good of his family, which would make me sad, but at least he'd have made the decision on his own."

"Some time for him to think things through?" Arthur asked thoughtfully. "Fair enough, and I think I can manage that much. I've been working on increasing good relations with foreign wizarding communities; I don't want anyone else pulling that divide-and-conquer strategy that You-Know-Who used. The Death Eaters are gone, but--"

"It's never wise to be complacent," Lupin said. "I agree."

"I was planning to send a diplomatic mission to France," Arthur said. "I was going to wait until Lukas's trial was over, but it's taking longer than I expected, so I might as well go ahead with it now. I'll have Tierney head the mission; he speaks French and he's on good terms with the staff at Beauxbatons, so he's certainly qualified. It's an important enough position that he should feel flattered, and the betrothal negotiations will have to be put on hold until he gets back."

"Thank you, Arthur," Lupin said warmly.

"I can't keep him there forever, though," Arthur warned. "No more than a month or two at most."

"I understand," Lupin said. "I'm grateful for whatever you can do."

"And I'll keep what you said in mind, too," Arthur said. "The Dietrich children were educated at Durmstrang, which means that they are familiar with foreign mages. Not a bad qualification for the International Magical Cooperation department."

"Lady Selima says that Aric's sister works at the German branch of Gringotts."

"Another good qualification," Arthur said. "Well, if Aric decides he doesn't want a Ministry career, I'll keep his sister in mind. I'd really prefer to hire someone who actually wants to be here; people who are unhappy with their jobs generally aren't the best workers. But Edward Tierney is one of my strongest supporters--even if his motivation is self-interest--and I can't really afford to offend him at this point. Especially with the Ministry and the Wizengamot divided in opinion over Lukas's claim to the Diggory estate." He sighed heavily. "Sometimes I wonder how I ever let Albus talk me into accepting this job."

Lupin smiled. "Because you knew that you could do some real good in the wizarding world, and that someone like Fudge, who only cared about his own ambition, could do real harm. And you have done good things, Arthur. The Wolfsbane Potion is available to any werewolf who needs it. The werewolves are able to work now, and Lukas and I have jobs at Hogwarts. And Lukas might well regain the inheritance that was stolen from him."

Arthur smiled, looking embarrassed but pleased. "I'm glad to know that I've made some difference, then. Sometimes it feels like I'm not getting anything accomplished, other than to spend my time arguing with my department heads and the Wizengamot. Good luck with your student, Remus. I hope things work out for him."

"So do I," Lupin said.

Part 69