FIC: Phoenix Rising, Part 18 of 37

[geri_chan]

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 18 of 37
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~8,440
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was 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 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), Phoenix Reborn (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8)
Summary: Snape, Lupin, and Dylan take a trip to Diagon Alley, which results in a family reunion of sort.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17


***

Dylan showed up at Snape's office on Halloween morning as planned, but to his surprise, Lupin walked up just as he and Snape were about to leave.

"And what do you want, Lupin?" Snape snapped.

"I have some books I need to pick up at Flourish and Blotts," Lupin replied cheerfully, ignoring Snape's rudeness. "So I thought I might tag along."

"My reputation would suffer if I were to be seen in the company of a werewolf," Snape sneered, and Dylan stared at his two teachers, almost in a state of awe. He would never in a million years have guessed that they were lovers, if Lupin had not inadvertently revealed that fact while Dylan was recuperating at Sirius Black's house.

{If they hadn't gone into teaching, they could have taken up acting,} Dylan thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Lupin said, still smiling cheerily, "Suffer away, Severus," and held up a sheet of parchment. Snape snatched it from his hand, scanned it, and scowled. "As you can see," Lupin continued, "the Headmaster has instructed me to accompany you two on your little jaunt. Besides, if Ariane is so worried about Dylan's safety, isn't it better for him to be protected by two wizards rather than one?"

"I don't need your help, werewolf!" Snape snarled, crumpling up the parchment.

"Oh, come on, Severus," Lupin cajoled. "I'll treat you to lunch."

Snape just sneered at him. "Perhaps you should be saving your salary, Lupin, to replace some of your wardrobe."

"I already have replaced most of my old, patched robes," Lupin said, spinning around to let the dark blue robe he was wearing billow out around him; he wore a brooch shaped like a wolf's head with tiny blue gems for eyes pinned at his throat. "Haven't you noticed?" Snape's face turned bright red, and Lupin grinned. "The Headmaster has been quite generous; I assure you I can afford to treat you and Dylan to lunch this once. And maybe dessert at Fortescue's afterwards?" he added in a coaxing tone. Snape seemed to waver for a moment. "And besides, you don't have a choice; Headmaster's orders, Severus."

"Oh, very well!" Snape huffed, and turned on his heel and began stalking down the corridor. Dylan and Lupin hastened to catch up with him, Lupin smiling and giving Dylan a wink as he did so.

They took a carriage, presumably drawn by the invisible Thestrals, to Diagon Alley. Dylan could not see them, because he had never seen anyone die, which he was sure would come as a shock to the Gryffindor boys who liked to call him "devil's spawn" and "Death Eater." Theodore had seen them, though, and said that they were ugly, nasty creatures. {Exactly the sort of pet Hagrid would like,} Dylan thought to himself darkly. Then he wondered, not for the first time, whose death Theodore had witnessed...

Meanwhile, Dylan sat between Snape and Lupin, who kept up their little act even though there were no witnesses apart from Dylan and the Thestrals--which meant that Snape kept barking out insults at Lupin, who responded with cheerfully inane remarks.

"It's such a beautiful day, isn't it, Severus?" Lupin chirped.

"Not when I have to spend it with a werewolf," Snape said sullenly.

"Now, now, Severus," Lupin said sweetly, "you know the Headmaster is trying to promote tolerance among the students. You might consider our little outing as setting a good example for the students."

Snape snorted in disgust. "See how tolerant people will be if you go out during the full moon, on four legs and in a fur coat!"

"That reminds me," Lupin said, still smiling innocently, "did you do something different to the the Wolfsbane Potion this month?"

"No, why do you ask?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"Well, it just seemed to me that my coat was extra-thick and shiny this month," Lupin replied. "I wanted to thank you."

Snape spluttered incoherently for the next few minutes, and Dylan sighed. It was rather like being caught on the middle of a battlefield between two opposing armies.

Lupin noticed that sigh, chuckled softly, and winked at Dylan again. Then he winked at Snape. Snape turned red and spent the rest of the ride in sullen silence, while Lupin made small talk with Dylan about school. Lupin seemed not to notice that Dylan's responses were few and hesitant as he cast nervous glances at the sulking Potions Master, and Lupin seemed cheerfully content to carry on most of the conversation by himself. Only once did Snape show any sign of feeling something other than hatred for the werewolf. It happened when Lupin happened to glance out of the carriage window, and a ray of sunlight fell through it, falling on Lupin's face and hair, giving them a faint golden glow and almost halo-like effect. Lupin could not see, but Dylan happened to look over just at that moment and caught Snape smiling at Lupin with an almost tender look on his face. Then Snape saw Dylan staring, and scowled and looked away. Dylan sighed again, and wondered if he would ever understand Snape.

To Dylan's relief, they finally reached Diagon Alley and escaped the confines of the carriage. "I'll head over to the bookstore," Lupin said, "and meet the two of you at the Apothecary's afterwards."

"Fine," Snape said curtly. "Come along, Rosier."

"Yes, sir." He followed Snape down the street until they reached a shop whose window read "Slug & Jiggers Apothecary." Dylan wrinkled his nose slightly as he walked through the door; the place smelt like rotten eggs and cabbage. Still, it was a fascinating place, full of all sorts of interesting things: the shelves were lined with jars full of various herbs, powders, and oddly-colored liquids, and there were bundles of feathers, fangs, and claws hanging from the ceiling. On a long counter sat two glass tanks; one was filled with a mess of small, brightly colored snakes, hissing and sliding over and under each other, and the second was filled with leeches.

There was an old man standing behind the counter. He was tall and thin, had beady dark eyes, and a lank fringe of gray hair hung from his balding head. "Hello, Professor Snape," he said, smiling widely and revealing a set of crooked, yellowing teeth. Then his eyes turned to Dylan and he said, "And who is your young friend?"

"This is my student, Dylan Rosier," Snape said. "Dylan, this is Mr. Jigger, the proprietor of this shop."

"Ah yes," Jigger said, leaning over the counter to give Dylan a closer look. "I should have noticed the family resemblance."

"Did you know my father?" Dylan asked eagerly.

Jigger laughed. "Not really, I met him only once, when he was a young lad, before he had even entered Hogwarts. He managed to tip over a tank full of frogs, and they were hopping all over the shop; I had the devil's time rounding them up again, and they knocked over a few jars of very expensive ingredients." The old man chuckled. "Despite all the ruckus he caused, he was a charming lad, and I couldn't bring myself to be angry at him. Besides, your grandparents paid for the damage, but they never again brought young Evan back to my shop! Your grandmother was quite a talented potion-maker, you know." He gave Dylan a speculative look. "Does the boy take after Lady Elin, Professor? Is that why you brought him with you today?"

"He does show quite a talent for Potions," Snape agreed, and Dylan felt a surge of pleasure and pride. Snape turned to Dylan and added, "Mr. Jigger's grandfather, Arsenius, wrote the textbook you've been using in my class, Magical Drafts and Potions."

"Really?" Dylan asked, looking quite impressed, which the shopkeeper seemed to find flattering.

"Yes, indeed," Jigger said proudly. "The Jiggers have always been apothecaries; it's a family tradition." Then, in a more brisk and businesslike tone, he said, "What can I do for you today, Professor?"

Snape pulled a list out of his pocket. "I need more valerian and lavender oil for my classes. Black hellebore and henbane. Also some dried saxifrage--"

"Roots or leaves?"

"Both. And devil's bit roots and woad leaves."

Jigger raised an eyebrow. "Trying something different this year, are you, Professor?"

"I thought I would provide my advanced classes with an unusual and challenging project this year, yes," Snape replied calmly.

"Very well. Shall I put it on the Hogwarts account, Professor?"

"Yes, please."

Jigger weighed out and measured the various herbs, wrapped them up, and made a notation in a leather-bound notebook. "Ah yes, and your special order is ready, Professor. The gemstones and jobberknoll feathers you requested." He placed two more packages on the counter, and Dylan noticed that Snape paid for them himself, rather than billing it to the school.

{Hmm, we used jobberknoll feathers in that mysterious potion Snape was working on last year that he wouldn't tell me anything about,} Dylan thought to himself. {I wonder...}

"I also got in a few new items in you might like, Professor," Jigger said with a grin. "Cobra venom, Cockatrice feathers, and Runespoor eggs."

"Runespoor eggs?" Snape asked, his dark eyes lighting up. "And Cockatrice feathers? My, someone has been enterprising..."

"A foolhardy young wizard who fancies himself an adventurer," laughed Jigger. "I doubt he'll live to see old age, but I'll buy the fruits of his adventures for as long as he lasts. Well, are you interested, Professor?"

"I'll take the eggs, but I don't really need the feathers or venom..."

But he sounded a little wistful, and Jigger jumped in with his sales pitch. "You may not need them NOW," he said, "but who knows when they might come in handy on short notice? Cockatrice feathers can be used in a petrification antidote, and you had a Basilisk problem a few years ago, didn't you? As for the venom--"

"I admit it would be tempting to poison a few of my students," Snape said dryly, "but I doubt the Headmaster would stand for that."

Jigger chuckled. "But it can always be used to brew anti-venom," he pointed out.

"How often are my student going to be bit by a cobra?" Snape retorted, but he looked thoughtful, and a bit concerned.

"It's always better to be safe than sorry, Professor," Jigger said smoothly.

They haggled over prices briefly, with Snape saying that he wasn't made out of money, and Jigger pointing out that he could just bill it to the school. "The Headmaster is generous, but there is a limit to my expense account," Snape said sourly. But he gave in without too much argument, and handed over a fat pouch of gold coins.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Professor," Jigger said, smiling widely as counted out the coins and placed them in his cash drawer.

"I'm sure it is," Snape said, still in that sour voice, and handed his packages to Dylan. "Here, make yourself useful, Rosier."

"Yes, sir," Dylan said, accepting the bundles without complaint. He smiled to himself a little as he thought, {So that's why Snape invited me along...}

"And be careful with those Runespoor eggs; they're very rare and--" Snape gave Jigger a pointed look. "--very expensive."

"There's an anti-breakage charm on the box, Professor," Jigger said in a soothing tone. "He can drop them from a ten-story building and they won't break." The apothecary grinned. "No extra charge."

"Very well," Snape said, looking somewhat mollified. "Come along, Rosier."

Lupin walked up as they exited the shop. "Bought the whole store, have you, Severus?" he said with a grin as he eyed the packages Dylan was carrying.

"Merely a few necessities for class, Lupin," Snape said coldly--and not quite truthfully.

"Want some help with those?" Lupin asked Dylan kindly.

"No sir, I'm fine," Dylan replied. "They're a bit bulky, but not at all heavy."

"Where to next?" Lupin asked cheerfully.

"Well," Snape said, as they walked down the street, "I wanted to stop by Peregrine Potions--"

"Never heard of it," Lupin said.

"I'm not surprised," Snape sneered, "since you've been living in the woods for the past few years. They opened shop a couple of years ago. Their inventory isn't as extensive as Slug and Jiggers, but occasionally they have something interesting. And since Mr. Rosier is missing out on his Hogsmeade trip--" Snape almost smiled. "--I thought perhaps he might want to take a look at Gambol and Japes or Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Can we, Professor?" Dylan asked eagerly.

"Yes, indeed," Snape said indulgently.

"I thought maybe we could visit Fred and George's shop, too," Lupin suggested.

"You mean the Weasley brats?" Snape asked with a scowl.

"Please don't call them brats, Severus. I hear their business is quite successful; it seems they have managed to channel their penchant for mischief into something productive."

"I don't care what you call it, I'm not--"

"Severus!" a woman's voice exclaimed, interrupting the two Professors' dialogue. Snape looked up, then stopped in his tracks as his jaw dropped and his face turned white--well, whiter than usual.

Dylan looked at the woman standing in front of them, and his own jaw dropped. He had seen her before in Snape's memories as a beautiful young woman with lush, dark hair and honey-gold skin. Her black hair was now laced with strands of white, and there were lines on her face where there had been none before, but she was still a handsome woman. Could this be...Snape's mother?!

"M...m...mo..." Snape stammered, then regained control of himself and said in a cold voice, "Lady Selima."

The woman raised her eyebrow, in much the same way Snape always did, and said in an equally cold voice, "So formal, Severus?"

Lupin cleared his throat; Snape ignored him. Lupin tried again, "Ahem. Perhaps you'd care to introduce us, Severus?"

Snape glared at him, but said, "Lupin, this is Selima Snape. Lady Selima, this is my colleague, Professor Lupin, and my student, Dylan Rosier."

Selima Snape eyed Lupin and Dylan with distaste. "The werewolf and Evan Rosier's son. Interesting company you keep, Severus."

Snape ground his teeth together, and his face took on a dangerous expression that would have sent his students running for cover, but Selima seemed unimpressed. "The Headmaster asked me to keep an eye on the werewolf," he growled through gritted teeth, "both to protect the populace from him, and him from the populace, as anti-non-human sentiment has been running rather high. As for the boy, he's my most talented student, and the son of an old friend."

"Is this your mother, Severus?" Lupin asked in a polite tone, but his eyes were gleaming with curiosity.

"Legally, no," Snape snarled. "Seeing as how I was disowned by my family years ago."

Selima sighed irritably. "That's your own doing, Severus--"

"MY doing?" Snape snapped. "You're the one who decided to jump to conclusions and disown me before I had even gone to trial! Which I never did, might I remind you?"

"Actually, that was your father," Selima corrected him coolly. "I did advise him to wait, but you know how he feels about protecting the family name. In any case, you didn't have to be so stubborn, Severus. If you had asked forgiveness, your father would have--"

"Ask forgiveness?" Snape said incredulously. "For what?! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You may not have been convicted, Severus," Selima retorted, "but you are hardly an innocent."

"I'm not going to stand here and be insulted, Lady Selima," Snape said coldly. "Hell will freeze over before I go crawling back to the Snape house. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some business to attend to--"

"You're the last Snape heir!" Selima cried, her voice suddenly filled with desperation and anger. "Are you just going to let the Snape line die out?"

A malicious smile spread slowly across Snape's face. "I will never produce an heir for the Snape house," he whispered, with an almost triumphant look in his eyes. "The Snape line may die out and rot for all I care."

"Severus, please!" Selima shouted. "Let's go somewhere and discuss this like adults--"

"Let's not!" Snape retorted.

"Ahem," Lupin said, clearing his throat again, and the two Snapes turned and glared at him, their angry black eyes nearly identical. Dylan gulped nervously--if one Snape was intimidating, two were even worse! But Lupin just said mildly, "Perhaps you should continue your discussion in a more private place. People are beginning to stare." And indeed, a number of passersby had stopped to watch their argument.

"Please, Severus," Selima said in a quieter but no less urgent voice. "Let us go and talk privately." She attempted a conciliatory smile, though it seemed that humility was as foreign to her as it was to her son. "I'll buy you lunch at the Leaky Cauldron."

"I can take Dylan shopping while you talk to your mother," Lupin volunteered.

"NO!" shouted Snape, a panicky look suddenly filling his eyes. "I...I...promised Ariane I wouldn't let Dylan out of my sight! I'm responsible for his well-being!"

***

{Please, PLEASE don't leave me alone with my mother!} Snape silently begged Lupin. Although he had not feared his mother the same way he had feared his father as a child, he had not seen his family in over fifteen years, and he had no idea what to say to her. He had intended to spend the rest of his life never seeing or speaking to his parents again, and the thought of having to confront his mother alone filled him with a sense of panic.

Lupin smiled at him, with an expression of mingled sympathy and mischief. "Very well, Severus. Since you feel so strongly about it." He turned to Selima. "I'm sure it will please you to know that Severus has a strong sense of honor and always takes his duties very seriously."

Snape flushed and glared at Lupin. {You don't need to go that far!}

Selima sighed. "Must we include strangers in a private family matter?"

"If you can't bear to be in the presence of a werewolf and the son of a Death Eater," Snape said coldly, "I would be quite happy to continue on my way--"

"Fine!" Selima said quickly. "They can come! But please, let us get off the street!"

{She must really be desperate,} Snape thought in surprise. But then again, it was not really a surprise that Selima Snape would prefer the private humiliation of dining with a werewolf and the son of a deceased Death Eater to the public humiliation of having their argument be witnessed out on the open street. Appearances had always been everything to his mother. {No matter how things are falling apart inside,} Snape thought scornfully, {as long as everything looks perfect and pretty on the outside, that's all that matters to my mother.} Well, to his father, too, if truth be told; it was not so much the fact that he had joined the Death Eaters that had offended his parents, as it was the fact that he had been caught at it, and branded--in the court of public opinion, if not the court of law--as a member of disgraced, criminal organization. No doubt if Voldemort had won the war, his family would have welcomed him with open arms and loudly praised his decision to become a Death Eater. Snape would gladly have told his mother to bugger off, but she was clearly not going to let him go without an argument, and Lupin was right; they were attracting too much attention, and that was something Snape could not afford. He wanted to keep a low profile, in both the eyes of the public and the Dark Lord.

Snape sullenly followed his mother to the Leaky Cauldron, where she booked a private room. It was a little early for lunch, so she ordered a light meal of tea, scones, and dainty crustless finger sandwiches. Selima waited in silence until their server had left the room, took a sip of tea, then said, "It is your duty to provide the Snape house with an heir, Severus."

In Snape's experience, gathered through fifteen years of teaching at Hogwarts, teenage boys were perpetually hungry. However, Dylan--and Lupin, for that matter--seemed much more interested in the conversation than the food, watching with fascination as they nibbled idly on their sandwiches. "It ceased to be my duty when you and Father disowned me, Mother," Snape said coldly, spreading a blueberry scone with sweet Devonshire cream. Although Snape loved sweets, it tasted like cardboard to him--no fault of the baker, but rather it was the sight of his mother sitting in front of him that ruined his appetite.

"Well, you're calling me 'Mother' now rather than 'Lady Selima,'" Snape's mother said dryly. "I suppose that's an improvement." Snape flushed red with anger, and Selima sighed. "Come now, Severus, stop being so stubborn. If you are too proud to apologize, I can attempt to smooth things over with your father."

"My father go back on his word?" Snape snorted. "Hah!"

"Yes, all the Snape men are incredibly stubborn," Selima snapped. "But we are not getting any younger, Severus, and I think he might bend a little to assure himself of an heir."

"Go make another one," Snape suggested crudely, and it was his mother's turn to flush with rage--no, not just rage. Embarrassment and something else...frustration? "Ah, you have tried!" Snape said with a spiteful grin. "But there were no little Snapes forthcoming, were there?" Selima's face turned even redder, and her black eyes, so like his own, were blazing with wrath. Lupin and Dylan looked back and forth from mother to son nervously, but Snape ignored them. "Better watch out, dear Mother, perhaps Father will put you aside and take a younger bride in hopes of siring an heir!"

"Severus," Lupin said, a note of warning and concern in his voice.

"Your father would never dishonor me that way!" Selima snapped. "He knows that my family would never stand for it!"

Snape noted with bitter amusement that Selima mentioned only her family's influence, and not affection or loyalty, as an obstacle to a divorce and remarriage.

"Besides," Selima continued, "while barrenness is grounds for divorce, I am not barren. I did my duty and produced an heir--you. Now it is your turn to do your duty, Severus."

"Go to hell, Mother," Snape said, as Lupin looked increasingly worried. "I owe nothing to you or my father."

"You ungrateful wretch!" Selima cried. "You owe us everything!"

"What do I owe you, Mother?" Snape asked in a soft voice that his students would have recognized as the calm before the storm.

Selima, however, did not, and continued her tirade. "You owe me life, you spoilt brat! I gave birth to you!"

"Yes," Snape said, still in that dangerously quiet voice. "And your duties stopped there, it seems."

"What are you talking about?" Selima snapped. "I did my duty as a mother; your father and I provided you with food and clothing and a good education; I taught you how to behave properly in society though it seems you have forgotten those lessons--"

"You stood by and did nothing while your husband cast a Cruciatus Curse on your six-year old son," Snape whispered.

"WHAT?!" Dylan shrieked, choking on his tea. Lupin patted him on the back, looking sad but not surprised; he did not know the exact details, but Snape had once let it slip that his father had punished him with pain-giving curses as a child.

"I did nothing wrong," Selima said, looking sincerely confused. "It is a father's duty to punish his children when they misbehave; it was not my place to intervene."

"I was six years old!" Snape shouted, losing his temper and his control. "My great offense was to cry because I broke my favorite toy! Didn't it occur to you that a Cruciatus Curse might have been overkill?!"

"It was a weakened version of the spell," Selima protested, "and he only used it for about a minute. For Merlin's sake, Severus, is that what this is all about? You're refusing to do your family duty because of some childish punishment that happened thirty years ago?"

Snape was furious that she dismissed his old feelings of pain and betrayal as a childish, trivial grudge. "What about the time I snuck into Father's workroom and accidentally spilled a potion when I was eight? Or the time I put that curse on the neighbor's child and almost got barred from Hogwarts? Or--"

"It might have seemed harsh at the time, Severus," Selima interrupted, "but you learned your lesson, didn't you? You never had another temper tantrum. You never again went into your father's workroom without permission. You never..." She sighed a little. "Well, you never hexed the neighbor's boy again, at least, although you did get into trouble for hexing those Gryffindor boys. The point is, Severus, that your father's punishments were effective. It is not the Slytherin way to coddle our children--"

"Tell that to the Malfoys or the Parkinsons!" Snape retorted. "But that's not the point!"

"What is the point, Severus?" Selima asked impatiently.

"It seems to me," Lupin said quietly, "that the point is, your husband used an Unforgivable Curse to torture his son, and you did not try to stop him."

"You have no right to sit in judgment over me, werewolf!" Selima snapped.

"Even a wolf protects its cubs better than you did your child," Lupin said, holding her gaze.

"This is the company you keep now, Severus?" Selima asked, pointing accusingly at Lupin. "You would rather associate with beasts than with your own family?"

Snape wished he could tell her that he and Lupin were lovers; he would have loved to have seen the expression on her face. Unfortunately, he still needed to keep his cover. "Everyone at Hogwarts knows that I despise Lupin," he said coldly. "I only associate with him because I cannot avoid it, as we are both teachers there, thanks to Dumbledore's softheartedness. But yes, Mother, as much as I hate him, I prefer the werewolf's company to yours."

Selima was rendered speechless with fury for a few minutes. Although he was not hungry, Snape ate a sandwich, feigning calmness as he forced his face to remain expressionless, because he knew it would irritate his mother even more.

"Is it worth it?" Selima finally asked, when she had regained control over herself. "To live in exile, to work at a menial job, just to spite your father and I?"

"I'd hardly call a teaching position at Hogwarts menial labor," Snape said dryly. "It's one of the most prestigious wizarding schools in the world, and I earn a decent salary--"

"But it's nowhere near so prestigious and well-paying a job as, say, a Ministry position--your dear friend Lucius Malfoy never got you a job in the Ministry, did he, even though you risked your life and reputation on his behalf to join--"

"Whatever I did, I did for myself, not Malfoy!" Snape snapped. "And if I were you, I would be careful about bandying that name about, Mother!"

"I know better than you how dangerous Lucius Malfoy can be, Severus," Selima whispered, a hard and bitter look in her eyes.

"I seriously doubt that," Snape said.

"It's very convenient, isn't it," Selima continued softly, "how Lucius's parents died during the height of the war. Ah, I see I have your attention now, Severus."

"There was a plague," Snape said slowly, "an outbreak of fever. Many people died--"

"Do you really think it was sheer coincidence, Severus? Whatever other faults you may have, you were never stupid."

"Why would Lucius want to...ah...eliminate his father? The elder Malfoys were said to be supporters of...Lucius's patron."

"His parents were reluctant to commit fully to the war," Selima said. "Yes, they liked the idea of the purebloods being in charge of everything--who wouldn't? But they were aware of the dangers as well. They were not so enthusiastic as their son; they were afraid that...the other side...would prevail in the end. But they died, and Lucius became Lord of the Malfoy estate, and threw the family's full support behind...his patron." Selima waited for a response, but Snape remained silent, so she continued, "I did not much care for Lucius's father, I must admit, but his mother was my friend. Lucius was always an ambitious young man, but even I did not realize how far he would go to fulfill that ambition."

Snape remained silent. If his mother was right, that meant that Lucius had murdered not only his own parents, but also a number of innocent people to make it look like a real illness. Fatal viruses and such could be magically created, but they were rarely used because they were notoriously difficult to control and were likely to spread farther than the wielder might wish. Snape knew that Lucius would care nothing for the innocent bystanders, but could he really have killed his own parents in cold blood? {Probably,} Snape decided. Aloud, he said, "Well, Father always said that sentiment was for the weak. Lucius was never one to let sentiment stand in the way of his ambition." Selima glared at him, and Snape felt a twinge of malicious satisfaction at being able to throw his father's words back in her face.

"Are you enjoying this, Severus?" she asked accusingly.

"Not at all, Mother," he replied coolly. "You were the one who wanted to talk. I would like nothing better than to be on my way and go back to my menial job at Hogwarts."

Selima blinked and looked at Lupin and Dylan as if she had forgotten they were there. "I hope your...friends..." She made the word "friends" sound like an insult. "...can keep their counsel, Severus."

"Mr. Rosier knows how to keep his mouth shut," Snape said curtly. Strange, it was very unlike her to forget herself and speak so freely in front of strangers, but he supposed it was a sign of her desperation. And of course, he himself had lost control; he had not meant to bring up the past, of how his father had used the Cruciatus Curse on him, at least not in front of Dylan. "And the werewolf will do so as well," Snape continued out loud, "if he wants me to keep making the Wolfsbane Potion for him." He glared at Lupin.

Lupin just smiled serenely at him and said, "I would never dream of divulging the details of a private family discussion, Severus."

Selima stared at Lupin suspiciously for a moment, then said dismissively, "Well, it's not like anyone would take the word of a werewolf over that of a Snape, anyway."

Snape clenched his fists beneath the table. {When the war is over, if we should survive, I shall announce to the world that Lupin is my lover, and tell my mother just why I will never give the Snape house an heir,} he thought fiercely.

"What do you want me to say, Severus?" Selima demanded. "Do you want me to say that I was a bad mother, to apologize for not interfering when your father punished you? Fine. I'm a bad mother," she said curtly. "I'm sorry."

"I see that all Snapes are bad at apologizing," Lupin muttered under his breath.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin," Snape said automatically, but he almost smiled, despite his anger at his mother. He felt Lupin's hand brush against his for just a moment beneath the table. That made his anger recede further, and helped him to calm down.

"Look, Severus," Selima said in a frustrated voice, "however you believe your father and I have wronged you, haven't you punished us enough? Return home, Severus, and take your rightful place as heir to the Snape estate."

"Never," Snape said passionately.

"I will get your father to revoke the ban!" Selima cried. "You won't have to ask forgiveness!"

"I told you before, I will never give the Snape house an heir. Tell Father to adopt one if he must, some cousin or such; there must be some young relative with Snape blood who would love to inherit the title."

"There is no clear line of succession!" Selima shouted. "Your father had no brothers or sisters; his next closest relatives are distant cousins, none of whom bear the Snape name, and who have only the slightest trace of Snape blood!"

"That's not my problem," Snape said coldly as he rose from his seat. Lupin and Dylan followed suit. "Thank you for lunch, Mother. I wish I could say it's been a pleasure, but that would be a lie. Come along, Rosier."

"Is it because you don't want to marry?" Selima shouted, and Snape stopped halfway to the door. "You never did show any interest in girls," she added, in a quieter voice. Snape slowly turned to glare at her. "You're a fool if you think that matters, Severus. Marry some girl and get an heir on her, and you'll be free to do as you please."

"An interesting view of marriage," Lupin murmured.

"I wasn't talking to you, werewolf!" Selima snapped.

"Insulting the werewolf is my prerogative, Mother," Snape said. "Not yours. And I hate to say it, but he has a point. Is that the arrangement you and Father had?"

"Only the lower classes can afford to marry for love," Selima said contemptuously. "And what is love but a flame that burns brightly, but quickly dies out? Power is what lasts, my son. I hope you are not refraining from your duty out of some foolish romantic notions; I thought I taught you better than that."

"I will never marry," Snape said quietly. "For power or for love. Good day, Mother."

"Will you turn your back on power and wealth to go back to some teaching position?!" Selima screamed. "You could rival Malfoy in power, surpass him even, now that he's a fugitive!" But this time Snape kept walking and did not look back.

Lupin paused to say softly, "You are wrong, Lady Selima. It is love that lasts, not power." Then he left, with a wide-eyed Dylan following close behind, as Selima Snape stared after them in anger and disbelief.

***

"Did...did your father really--?" Dylan asked timidly as they left the Leaky Cauldron.

"Not here, Rosier," Snape said curtly. "Not in public."

"Why don't we stop by Gambol and Japes, or the Weasleys' store?" Lupin suggested. "We could all use a laugh." He hesitated, looking at Snape with concern. "Or perhaps you'd prefer to return to school now..."

"No," Snape said. He didn't really want to return to school, because he had no classes to teach, and he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts right now, nor did he feel like discussing them with Lupin at the moment, although he still wanted his lover's company. "Fine," Snape said. "Let's go to Weasleys' Wheezes or Sneezes, or whatever the bloody shop is called." Maybe the irritating Weasley boys would at least take his mind off things.

"Really?" Lupin and Dylan chorused, and Snape almost smiled, though he quickly turned it into a frown, for the benefit of the passersby.

"Why not?" he sighed. "My mood couldn't possibly get any worse."

A bell rang as Lupin pushed in the door of the shop, and Fred--or was it George?--said cheerfully, "Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes! We have all manner of--Professor Lupin?" He broke off and said in a more normal--though no less enthusiastic--voice, "It's good to see you!" Then Snape and Dylan walked in, and Fred's--or George's--mouth dropped open. "Professor Snape?!"

"Good to see you, too, Fred," Lupin said, laughing a little at the expression of shock on his face. "It is Fred, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, sir," Fred stammered. "Uh...um..."

"Severus and I are running some errands for the Headmaster," Lupin explained, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I insisted on stopping by, although I'm sure Severus would much rather be back at the Apothecary's."

"Yes, well, I've been designated your keeper for the day, Lupin," Snape grumbled. "Can't let you off your leash."

George emerged from the back room carrying a stack of boxes. "Ah, customers," he started to say, then dropped the boxes when he saw Lupin and Snape.

Snape looked down at the spilled boxes and said, "I hope those don't contain explosives, Mr. Weasley."

"Ah...no, sir," George said weakly. "Th-they're Skiving Snackboxes."

"Oh, great," Dylan said. "Can I have one?"

"Uh, sure," George replied, still in a state of shock. He bent down to pick up the boxes.

"Here, let me help you," Dylan volunteered.

"Thanks," George said, then looked at Dylan more closely as they gathered up the boxes. "Say...I remember you; you were on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Rosier, right?"

"Yes," said Dylan, handing him the boxes he'd picked up. "No hard feelings, I hope."

Fred and George looked at him suspiciously. "I'm surprised to see a Slytherin in a shop run by a couple of Gryffindors," George said.

Dylan shrugged. "Your shop is famous in the school," he said with a smile. "A lot of the Slytherins would like to come here, but they're afraid of what Draco might say."

"Famous, huh?" George asked, looking pleased.

"Aren't you afraid of what Draco might say?" Fred asked, still looking suspicious.

"But I didn't come here on my own," Dylan pointed out innocently. "Professor Lupin made me come--"

"Twisted your arm," Lupin laughed.

"--and as long as I'm here, I might as well look around, right?"

George laughed, gave Dylan one of the Skiving Snackboxes, and placed the rest on a shelf. "Well, I do remember that you were trying to get Malfoy to shut up before that fight broke out after the game. So I suppose you're all right. But that song was a dirty trick."

"It wasn't my idea," Dylan said apologetically. "I know what it's like to have people say nasty things about my family; I wouldn't do that to someone else."

Fred and George looked a little abashed; their brother, along with many of the other Gryffindor boys, had been one of those who had talked loudly of Dylan being a Death Eater's son, and called him some less than flattering names.

"Well, a customer's a customer," Fred decided. "We'll take your money, Slytherin or Gryffindor."

"How enlightened of you," Snape muttered.

"It's a start, Severus," Lupin said with a grin. "Inter-House cooperation."

Snape just looked around the shop with a disgruntled air. "So this is what you gave up school for?"

"Business is booming, sir," George said cheerfully. "Care for a Canary Cream?"

"No thank you," Snape said coldly.

"I'm so glad that you're doing well," Lupin said. "And glad to see that you've recovered from your little accident."

The boys flushed. "Mum told you about that, did she?" Fred asked sheepishly.

"But if not for us, Dad might be in prison right now!" George pointed out. "How's Tonks doing?"

"As well as can be expected," Lupin replied. "She's staying with Sirius until the investigation is completed."

Fred elbowed his brother in the side, giving Dylan a significant look, and George fell silent. Snape repressed a smile; the boys did not know that Dylan had the trust of the Order--well, the trust of some of the Order, at least: Dumbledore, Branwen, Goewin, Mathias, Lupin, and himself. In Snape's mind, those were the only members who really mattered. Dylan pretended to pay no notice to the conversation as he browsed in the shop, but Snape knew he was aware of everything that was being said.

"I'll get these," Dylan said, taking the Skiving Snackbox and a box of Ton Tongue Toffees up to the counter.

"Mr. Rosier," Snape said in a threatening voice, "if I catch you using one of those sweets to get out of a test--"

"They're not for me, Professor," Dylan protested. "They're for a friend."

"Remind me to keep an eye on Mr. Pierce," Snape said to Lupin, then smiled dryly at the expression on Dylan's face. "Come now, Mr. Rosier, I hope you don't think I'm stupid; who else would they be for? Nott and Zabini have too much good sense to pull a stunt like that."

"Yes, sir," Dylan said weakly. "I mean, no, sir, of course I don't think you're stupid--"

"Please don't scare off our customer, Professor," Fred said to Snape, then paled as Snape glared at him.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Severus," Lupin said. Snape turned his glare on the werewolf, who of course simply smiled at him without the slightest bit of fear.

"Fine," Snape sighed. "Go ahead and buy them, Rosier, but warn your friend that he'd better not get sick in Potions class, or I'll be testing all your classmates' potions on him for the rest of the year."

"Damien would never use the sweets to get out of Potions class, sir," Dylan said with absolute honesty, and paid for his purchases.

Snape of course noticed that Dylan had said nothing about their other classes. "Well, if the other teachers can't tell when a student is faking it, I suppose that's their problem," he said with a smile, shocking the Weasley brothers. Then he shocked them even further by picking up a Skiving Snackbox and placing it on the counter.

"S-sir?" George stammered.

"I thought you said you'd take anyone's money," Snape said, raising his eyebrows. "Even a Slytherin's."

"F-five G-galleons, sir," George said, looking faint.

Snape handed him the coins, then noticed that Lupin and Dylan looked just as shocked as the Weasleys. He smiled evilly and explained, "I'm going to give this to Madam Pomfrey, so she can learn to distinguish between a real illness and a Weasley-induced one."

Fred groaned. "There goes business!"

Lupin laughed and bought a Headless Hat and a fake wand to console him.

"What on earth do you intend to do with those, Lupin?" Snape asked.

"I thought Albus might like them," Lupin replied. "I'll save them for his Christmas present."

Snape shook his head, but left the shop feeling considerably better than he had when he had walked in. Lupin smiled at him, and Snape was hard-pressed not to smile back.

"See, I told you a trip to the Weasleys' shop would cheer you up," Lupin said.

"No need to look so smug, Lupin," Snape retorted, but he didn't deny it. "And didn't you promise to treat us to lunch? Well, my mother already did, I suppose, but I seem to recall you mentioning something about Fortescue's..."

"I am a man of my word, Severus," Lupin said cheerfully, and the trio headed to the ice cream parlor for sundaes.

***

"Thank you, Professor Snape, Professor Lupin," Dylan said as they returned to the carriage later. "I had a good time."

"You're welcome," Lupin said with a smile, and Snape just flushed and grunted. "You can stop the grumpy act, you know," Lupin said. "No one can overhear us in the carriage."

"So who says it's an act?" Snape said sourly.

"I do," Lupin said. He took out his wand and uttered a quick charm; the windows turned dark and opaque. Lupin leaned over and kissed Snape on the cheek.

"LUPIN!" Snape howled. "Not in front of the boy!"

Dylan had ended up with a window seat this time, with Snape in the middle. He blushed and looked out the window even though he couldn't see through it.

"But you're the one who told me Slytherins are blase about such things," Lupin pointed out.

"They're not blase about their teachers making out in carriages in front of them!" Snape bellowed.

Lupin giggled and gave Snape a wicked look. "You're lucky Dylan's here, Severus--or maybe I should say, unlucky?" He leaned over and whispered in Snape's ear, "Perhaps we should take a carriage ride again sometime, just the two of us." Snape's face turned bright red.

"Behave yourself!" Snape snapped.

Lupin chuckled, but obeyed, and after a brief silence, Dylan asked hesitantly, "Is it safe to talk now?"

"Yes," Snape said--reluctantly, because he knew what was coming next.

"Did your father really use a Cruciatus Curse on you?"

"Yes," Snape replied shortly. "But I don't want to talk about it." Lupin reached over and held his hand, and Snape did not object, despite the fact that the boy was watching.

Dylan was silent for a moment. "Is that why you won't return to your family?"

"Part of the reason," Snape admitted. "The other part..." Lupin smiled at him, then snuggled close and laid his head on Snape's shoulder.

"Oh," said Dylan, blushing again. "Of course. You can't marry."

Snape heaved a slightly exasperated sigh, but he didn't push Lupin away; it was comforting, if a little embarrassing, to have the werewolf curled up against his side. He put an arm around Lupin, and his lover sighed contentedly. "Yes," he said dryly. "It's not safe, you see, to make a werewolf jealous."

"We're very possessive," Lupin agreed.

{Did Snape just make a joke?} Dylan wondered. Then again, maybe not...there was a certain gleam in Lupin's pale blue eyes that said he was serious, even though there was laughter in his voice. "Is it true, what your mother said, that the purebloods don't marry for love?" Dylan asked. "My parents did, after all."

"Yes, and caused a great scandal," Snape reminded him. "It caused your mother's family to disown her."

"Did my father's parents love each other?"

Snape thought about that. "I don't know," he said, "but they seemed quite fond of each other. They probably had an arranged marriage, but sometimes affection can grow out of such a union. But for the most part, love doesn't enter into it. A pureblood marriage is based on wealth and status and political alliances." He frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange fell in love while we were at Hogwarts, but fortunately for them, they came from families of similar rank and background, so their families were not opposed to their marriage, and indeed welcomed it. But cases like that are very rare."

"What about my mother's parents?" Dylan wondered. "Mother says her father died when she was very young, so she doesn't really remember him."

"Well, I'm the same age as your mother," Snape pointed out acerbically, "so I wouldn't remember him either."

"Severus," Lupin said in a chiding tone.

Snape relented. "But one hears gossip, of course, and my mother kept tabs on all the pureblood families. Your maternal grandfather was a younger son of a low-ranking pureblood family who was entitled to no inheritance of his own; not many men would be willing to take their wife's name, and the Donner title is passed down through the female line. He gave up his name in order to marry into a more powerful family, and many of his peers scorned him for it."

"So he married for power," Dylan said.

"Most likely," Snape said. "Though of course the gossip was slightly slanted and rather malicious. No doubt Mathias could give you a more accurate picture. But according to the gossip, he was a meek and quiet man who always deferred to his wife, and I believe it; Deirdre Donner would never have married anyone who would challenge her authority. He had a weak heart and died young, according to the healers. The gossips joked that he died to escape his domineering wife."

"How cruel," Lupin murmured.

"Yes, well, my mother and her friends were not exactly known for their compassion, Lupin. In case that wasn't obvious from the brief time you spent with her."

"It's sad," Lupin said. "Generations of children being brought up in such cold households, being taught that love is a frivolous nuisance. My family was poor, but they loved me, and I would not trade that for all the gold in the world."

Dylan fell silent, thinking that he was grateful that his mother--whatever mistakes she and his father had made in their youth--had brought him up with love. {I would not trade that, either,} he thought. {I would rather live in exile and disgrace with my mother all my life, than live with a family like the Snapes or the Malfoys.} Suddenly he yawned; it had been a long day. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, thinking that he would rest for just a little while...

Some subtle motion of the carriage as it moved caused the sleeping boy to slide across the seat into Snape. Dylan stirred slightly, but did not wake. Thus, Snape found himself with his lover curled up against him on one side, and the boy that was the closest thing he would ever have to a son on the other; both looked comfortable and perfectly content--in fact, it seemed that Lupin had fallen asleep as well.

{I'm the one who should be exhausted,} Snape thought to himself with ironic humor, {after that scene with my mother.} He shook his head slightly, but smiled down tenderly at the pair, and found that he was no longer so upset about the confrontation with his mother. In a strange sort of way, it had been satisfying to finally speak his mind to her. Of course, she still didn't understand why he was so angry with her and Father, or why he would give up his position as the Snape heir to become a schoolteacher, and probably never would, but at this moment, he felt more pity than resentment. {She will never understand,} he thought, {what it's like to be loved by someone like Lupin, who cares nothing about House or status, who loves me despite my bad temper and petty jealousies. She will never know the joy and terror of having a child look at you with complete trust in his eyes, believing that you will make everything all right, when you have no such faith in yourself.} He gently kissed the top of Lupin's head, and because there was no one there to witness it, Dylan's as well. {You can keep your title and wealth and lands, Mother; this is all the treasure I need.}

Part 19