FIC: Aftermaths, Part 14

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 14
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: ~9,470
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: Snape and Lupin look after Harry and the others at Grimmauld Place while Sirius and Branwen are gone.

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


***

Meanwhile, Harry danced with Ginny, and Dylan danced with Hermione. Ron watched, feeling a little left out until Fleur asked him to dance while Bill was dancing with his mother, and cheered up slightly. Draco danced with his mother several times, although he did take one turn with Tonks, and actually seemed to be enjoying himself. Being a dutiful nephew, Dylan reluctantly left Hermione's side to dance with his Aunt Goewin. While he was dancing with her, he watched Weasley go up and ask Hermione to dance, and he frowned a little. His aunt smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, it's clear that your young lady has eyes only for you. But her friends are important to her, too, and you'll have to accept that if you don't want to drive her away."

"I know," Dylan sighed. "I'm trying. I guess we'll all be learning to get along with each other, since we'll be living in the same house for two weeks." He was pleased to be able to spend time with Hermione, but he wasn't sure what it would be like sharing such close quarters with the two Gryffindor boys.

"Everything will work out," Goewin assured him. After the song ended, she went to dance with Sirius, and Hermione was still dancing with Weasley. He saw Professor Blackmore standing alone and unpartnered for the first time since the dancing had begun, and he hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked up to her.

He bowed to her and said, "May I have the honor of a dance, Professor?"

She raised her eyebrows, then laughed and said, "Like father, like son, I see! Of course, Dylan, I would be delighted." Dylan took pleasure in the looks of shock on Potter's and Weasley's faces as he waltzed with the demonic Professor Blackmore. "You are much more like your mother in demeanor," she told him, "but every now and then I see a bit of Evan in you."

"Most people would see that as a bad thing," Dylan said.

"That's not the way I meant it," Branwen replied. "Evan had his good points, too. For a time I feared that you might repeat your father's mistakes, but I'm glad to say that you proved me wrong."

"That's thanks to Professor Snape," Dylan said solemnly.

"I know," Branwen said softly. "You're one of the few people other than Remus to have enough insight to see below the surface, to the man Severus really is."

Dylan wasn't sure how to reply to that. "He's...been good to me," Dylan finally said. "So has Professor Lupin."

They danced in silence for the rest of the song, then Branwen said, "I'm glad that you're such a serious and studious boy, but remember, there's nothing wrong with a little irreverence." She kissed him on the cheek, then added with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, "But just a little, mind you, or you'll be scrubbing bedpans like your father did!"

"My lady," Dylan said with fervent sincerity despite the charming grin he gave her, "I would never want to do anything to anger you!" He bowed to her again and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her fingertips in a courtly manner.

Branwen laughed and curtsied to him. "That's just the right amount of irreverence, Mr. Rosier!"

"Is your nephew flirting with my wife?" Sirius indignantly asked Goewin.

"Surely you're not jealous of a sixteen-year old boy," she teased.

"Maybe just a little," Sirius said, only half-jokingly, "when he has the charm and silver tongue of his father!" Then he determinedly walked over to claim a dance with his bride, tradition be damned.

Dylan graciously ceded the Professor to him, then went to the table where his great-uncle was sitting, holding baby Ariana on his lap. "Here, Uncle Math, let me watch Ari so you can dance with Aunt Goewin."

"Thank you, Dylan," Math said, and got up to join his wife. Theo, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny all came over to Dylan's table.

"You like to live dangerously, I see," Theodore said dryly. "Trying to uphold your dad's reputation?"

"I think you're nuts!" Ron said, looking a little awed. "I can't believe you had the nerve to ask her to dance! Weren't you afraid she'd turn you into a toad?"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Hermione said. "She wouldn't turn someone into a toad over that!"

"I was more afraid that Sirius might turn you into a toad," Harry said with a grin. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"It's not really a good idea to make a powerful wizard jealous," Theodore cautioned. "Even if he is a Gryffindor, the Blacks have a long history as Dark Wizards."

Dylan laughed. "I remember that Sirius told me he was jealous of my dad for asking Professor Blackmore to dance at the Yule Ball back when they were students at Hogwarts. He claimed it was just because the entire school was so impressed with Dad's audacity, and it didn't have anything to do with Professor Blackmore herself. He swore that he could never think of her romantically, that she was just too scary, but now I think maybe he was protesting a little too much."

"You think he liked her even back then?" Harry asked, sounding stunned. "But he and my dad didn't like her because she gave them detention a lot and they thought she favored the Slytherins. He says they argued a lot when they were Aurors, and they used to fight all the time when they were both living at Grimmauld Place while they were still in hiding. I was shocked when they decided to get married!"

Dylan shook his head, looking amused. "Don't you know that when two people fight a lot it can be a sign of romantic tension, Potter? Look at Snape and Lupin; everyone thought they hated each other. My mother and father thought they hated each other, too, when Professor Blackmore forced them to work on that Summoning project together. My mother said that the first time they kissed, they were in the middle of arguing about their project. She used to say that sometimes the heat of anger can disguise the heat of passion."

Harry's face turned bright red; Dylan's words were remarkably similar to Sirius's comments about arguments adding spice to a relationship, and what Blackmore had said about anger sometimes turning into passion. How come Dylan had so much more experience about these things when he was a year younger than Harry? Well, the Slytherin boy did have a reputation as a ladies' man, or at least, all the girls seemed to fawn over him.

Ron also looked flustered. "You talked about stuff like that with your MUM?!" he asked incredulously.

"Sure," Dylan replied carelessly, laughing at the expression on Weasley's face. Well, he couldn't really picture Mrs. Weasley discussing love and passion with her children! "She talked a lot about how she and my dad met. I never knew my father, so I loved hearing those stories about him."

He looked a little wistful then, and Hermione reached out and held his hand. Ron sighed inwardly; he did feel a little sorry for Rosier, who was now an orphan, but there was no shortage of girls willing to comfort him. Ron had enjoyed dancing with Hermione and Fleur, but it wasn't as fun as it could have been, since neither girl was interested in him. He thought he had come to terms with the fact that Hermione only liked him as a friend, but it was one thing to accept it when she wasn't dating anyone else, and another thing entirely when he had to watch her dance and hold hands with Rosier. And now he'd have to watch them moon over each other for the next two weeks. Ron sighed again.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ginny cooed and fussed over little Ariana, more than happy to help Dylan baby-sit while her parents danced. In fact, when Math and Goewin returned, the girls cheerfully told them to "go dance and enjoy the party! We'll watch Ariana for you. She's so adorable!"

"That's very kind of you," Goewin said with a smile. "Ari's a good baby, but it's nice to have a break once in awhile."

"We'll baby-sit for you anytime!" Ginny declared.

"I'll remember that," Goewin laughed, and she and her husband went off to dance some more.

"What makes girls go so gaga over babies and puppies?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "Beats me. I can't figure women out. Isn't it obvious, from the way I botched things with Cho?"

"Well, you've still done better than me," Ron pointed out gloomily. "I've never even had a girlfriend."

"Well, that girl Luna likes you..."

Ron made a face. "Oh, that's very comforting!"

Harry watched Dylan laugh with Ginny and Hermione as he bounced his baby cousin on his knee. "Maybe we should ask Rosier for pointers."

"Ask a younger student, and a Slytherin at that, for advice with women?" Ron asked indignantly.

Harry shrugged. "Well, he's obviously a lot more successful with women than we are."

Ron just scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. What was galling was that the idea was almost tempting. He looked over and saw Theodore Nott leaning back in his chair watching all of them with a slightly distasteful but oddly detached look on his face, as if none of this particularly concerned or interested him.

"Hey, Nott," Ron said hesitantly.

"What?" Theodore asked warily.

"Don't you ever get tired of being in Rosier's shadow? Of having to compete with him for all the girls?"

To Ron's confusion, Nott suddenly smiled, looking very amused, and said, "Not really. I'm used to playing second fiddle to Draco, anyway." He smirked and added, "Besides, it doesn't look like Dylan's going to be competing with anyone much longer, now does it? Except perhaps you..."

Ron clenched his fists, and Harry quickly patted him on the shoulder and said, "Take it easy, Ron, don't let him get to you. Come on, don't start a scene at Professor Blackmore's wedding!"

It was more the thought of an irate Blackmore than Harry's soothing tone of voice that caused Ron to get his temper under control. He forced himself to unclench his hands and muttered, "That's what I get for trying to be chummy with a Slytherin."

"We'll have to learn to get along with them if Hermione is going to be friends with Dylan," Harry said, although he didn't like the idea much better than Ron did. "Just ignore him; he's only trying to bait you. Besides, Nott doesn't have a girlfriend, either, so it's not like he has any more luck with women than we do."

Theodore overheard that last remark and almost fell out of his chair laughing as the other children stared at him.

Ginny, Hermione, and Dylan hadn't heard any of that last exchange and were even more confused than Ron and Harry. "What's the matter with him?" Ginny asked.

"I have no idea," Dylan replied. "Perhaps someone spiked the cider. You haven't been in the champagne, have you, Theo?"

Theodore shook his head, still choking with laughter. "I'll tell you about it later, Dylan. Your new Gryffindor friends have such quaint notions."

The girls stared at him in bewilderment, while Harry and Ron suspected that they had just been insulted even if they didn't know exactly how or why. "Slytherins," Ron muttered, shaking his head.

From a few tables away, Lupin said, "The kids seem to be having a good time."

"I suppose," Snape said skeptically as he watched Potter and Weasley glare at a laughing Theodore.

"It was such a beautiful ceremony," Lupin continued.

"I suppose," Snape repeated.

"Care to dance?" Lupin asked with a mischievous smile.

Snape groaned, "Oh please, Lupin! Wasn't it bad enough that you kissed me in front of the entire school?"

"Well, you did call me an exhibitionist!" Lupin laughed.

"That's because you are," Snape grumbled. "Please, Lupin, let's not make a scene at Branwen's wedding. This is supposed to be the bride's big day, after all."

Lupin didn't think that the bride would mind if they made a scene, but he said agreeably, "All right, but you owe me a dance in private later when we get home."

"Agreed," Snape said, feeling relieved that Lupin had given in so easily. He was so relieved, in fact, that he didn't even object when Lupin leaned against him, resting his head on Snape's shoulder.

Lupin just grinned and snuggled closer, since that had been his intent all along. Severus would have objected if he'd simply snuggled up to him, but faced with a choice between a snuggle and a dance, he eagerly accepted the lesser of two evils. He was gradually training the Potions Master to become accustomed to these little public displays of affection, and who knew? Maybe someday Severus would even feel comfortable with dancing in public. Lupin pressed his face against his lover's shoulder to hide his grin, which would instantly have made Severus suspicious if he had seen it, because it was as sly and devious as any Slytherin's.

When the party was over and Sirius and Branwen were ready to depart for their honeymoon, they climbed aboard Buckbeak, who had been festively bedecked for the occasion: white and green ribbons had been tied onto his saddle and bridle, and he was wearing a huge wreath around his neck made of ivy and white roses. The wreath, unfortunately, was looking a little bedraggled, because the Hippogriff had gotten bored and started munching on the flowers. From his perch on Branwen's shoulder, Bane eyed Buckbeak warily, as if he were afraid the bigger animal might make a mouthful out of him, although Snape privately thought that in a fight between the raven and the Hippogriff, he'd put his money on Bane.

"So where are you going for your honeymoon, Padfoot?" Lupin asked.

"I'm going to show Branwen some of the places I hid out at while I was a fugitive," Sirius replied cheerfully.

"Oh, that sounds very romantic," Snape said sarcastically.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, Snape," Sirius said with a grin. "I'll have you know that one of the places I stayed at was a lovely little tropical island."

"It sounds wonderful, Padfoot," Lupin laughed. "Have a good time, and send us a postcard!"

"See you in two weeks!" Sirius called out as Buckbeak took off. He and Branwen waved to their guests, who waved back until they flew out of sight.

The Weasleys stayed behind to help Hob, Lupin, Snape, and the children clean up. Lupin packed up the leftover food, which was enough to provide them with meals for the next couple of days, and Snape packed up some of the mysterious black and white flowers that Branwen's "grandfather" had sent. As they prepared to leave, Molly hugged and kissed Ginny and Ron, who squirmed with embarrassment.

"Aw, Mum!" Ron protested.

"Don't 'aw, Mum' me!" Molly said sternly. "You two be good now, and listen to Remus and Severus."

"Yes, Mum," Ginny said obediently.

"Yes, Mum," sighed Ron. "We're not little kids anymore, you know!"

"You'll always be my little boy," Molly replied, kissing him again. Ron turned red as he heard Dylan and Theodore snicker, but if he had looked at them more closely, he would have seen that they looked more wistful than mocking.

Lupin noticed, however, and he placed a gentle hand on each boy's shoulder, then said, "Well, shall we go home?"

Snape and the boys exchanged looks; they didn't really consider Grimmauld Place "home," but they nodded and followed Lupin into the Manor to take the Floo back to their temporary home.

***

The children went to bed early that night, tired out by the long day, although Lupin and Snape stayed up much longer, with Lupin claiming the dance Snape owed him in the privacy of their bedroom, and then they shared a dance of a different sort between the sheets.

The next morning they all sat in the kitchen eating leftover wedding cake for breakfast, something that Mrs. Weasley would never have allowed them to do, Ron gleefully pointed out.

"How wicked of you," Theodore muttered sarcastically, marveling once again at the naivete and innocence of the Gryffindors. He both scorned and envied them for having led such a sheltered life. "How can you bear the guilt of it all?"

Before Ron could react, Lupin said, "Theodore," in a warning tone, and his foster son fell silent. When they finished eating, Lupin cheerfully suggested to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, "Why don't you show Theo and Dylan around the house?"

"Um, sure," Harry said, attempting to paste a friendly smile on his face although he wasn't sure that he succeeded. "Come on."

Dylan smiled in a friendly enough manner and followed willingly; Theodore shrugged and joined them. They went up the stairs leading out of the basement where the kitchen was located, and paused briefly at the Entrance Hall on the ground floor. "This is where the family portraits are kept," Harry whispered, pointing at the curtain-covered wall. "You have to be quiet when you come through here or you'll wake them."

"I know," Dylan whispered back. "We've already had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Black."

"She reminds me of my grandmother," Theodore muttered under his breath.

Harry almost felt sorry for him then; maybe that was why Nott was always so sullen, if his family was as nasty as Sirius's. He continued up the stairs to the first floor. "Here's the drawing room, the living room, and the dining room is over there. We eat up here sometimes, but mostly we just eat in the kitchen unless we're having company over or something."

"Hermione's and my room is down the hall," Ginny added.

"Maybe you shouldn't be telling them that," Ron said darkly, giving the two Slytherin boys--particularly Dylan--a mistrustful look.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny said impatiently. "We're all on the same side, and besides, it's not like anyone's going to be..." She hesitated. "...doing anything they shouldn't with Professor Snape in the house!"

Theodore and Dylan glanced at each other, wondering if that was supposed to be a warning or just a statement of fact. Well, she was right either way.

"I have no interest in trying to sneak into a Gryffindor girl's bedroom," Theodore sneered, with a slight stress on the "I." Dylan flushed and glared at his foster brother.

Harry sighed, wondering why Nott had to be so insulting even when he was essentially assuring them that he wasn't up to mischief. Maybe it was a Slytherin thing...

"Why don't we go upstairs and see the rest of the house?" Hermione said brightly, blushing a little. She quickly headed for the staircase without waiting for a reply, and Ginny hurried after her, muttering something under her breath about how immature boys were. After a moment, the boys followed.

"Harry's and Ron's room is up here," Hermione said, her cheeks still pink. "Also, the library and Professor Snape's workroom."

"Professor Snape has a workroom here?" Dylan asked.

"Yes, he stayed here last summer," Hermione explained, "along with Professor Lupin, so he needed a place to brew the Wolfsbane Potion. And the Mind Restoration Potion, too."

"Why exactly was Snape staying here?" Theodore asked, his curiosity temporarily overriding his hostility towards the Gryffindors. "He said something about his duty to the Order..."

Hermione and Ginny giggled. "Well, supposedly he was here to protect Harry and give him Occlumency lessons," Ginny said, "but I think it was more because he wanted to be near Professor Lupin."

Dylan's eyes widened when Ginny mentioned the Occlumency lessons, but he said nothing. Theodore gave Ginny and Hermione a disgusted look, wondering why all the girls seemed to get so giggly over Lupin and Snape, when after all, most of them had despised the Potions Master before. "And Professor Lupin was here because...?"

"Professor Lupin was doing a lot of work for the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione replied, "and this was the Order headquarters. And I think Professor Dumbledore wanted to make sure there were a lot of wizards here to protect Harry. And because, well...Professor Lupin didn't have a job until the Headmaster was able to hire him again last year. Because of the anti-werewolf legislation and all."

"Oh," Theodore said, looking a bit shamefaced. Lucius Malfoy had been the main force behind it, but Thaddeus Nott had supported him on it.

"It's not your fault," Hermione said kindly. "And obviously Professor Lupin doesn't hold a grudge against you."

Theodore flushed and said nothing as they continued with the tour, but Dylan smiled at Hermione.

"Professor Lupin's a very forgiving guy," Ron muttered in a disapproving tone. Ginny glared at him, and everyone else pretended not to hear.

"Well, your room is up here on the third floor, of course," Hermione said.

"It used to be my brothers' room," Ginny added. "Fred and George."

"Their shop is really cool," Dylan told her.

"Mum was really upset that they dropped out of school," Ginny said with a grin, "but Dad said he was just glad that they found gainful employment."

"Professor Lupin's and Professor Snape's rooms are down that hall," Hermione said. "And Sirius's and Professor Blackmore's are down that way, and..." She frowned and fell silent, and they could all hear a hammering noise coming from the other end of the hallway.

"Um...is anyone else supposed to be here?" Dylan asked.

"No," Harry said nervously. "That's the guest bedroom; it's supposed to be empty."

"Maybe it's a ghost," Ron said in a hushed voice.

"It's probably just a doxy or a boggart," Hermione said, "but I thought we'd gotten rid of all of them the first summer we spent here." She took out her wand.

"Maybe we should go get the Professors and let them deal with it," Ron suggested.

"We can handle a little doxy by ourselves," Hermione said. When she put it that way, Harry had to agree with her. He could just imagine Snape's reaction if they went and asked for help: "Is handling a single doxy beyond the capabilities of the savior of the wizarding world, Potter?" the Potions Master would sneer.

"But what if it's not a doxy?" Ron protested. "What if it's a ghoul--there was one in the toilet when we first moved in, remember? Or some nasty Dark Magic item that we missed the first time around?" But the other children were already following Hermione down the hall. Ron headed after them, grumbling to himself, "I thought we weren't supposed to use magic outside of school; whatever happened to Miss Follow-the-Rules?"

They opened the door and walked in, wands upraised, and confronted--not a doxy or a boggart or a ghoul, but Hob, who was hammering together a crib. He dropped his hammer and looked up in surprise.

"Sorry, Hob," Harry said, pocketing his wand as he grinned sheepishly. "We heard noises and thought it might be a doxy or a boggart."

"Hob did not mean to disturb you," the little man said apologetically.

"That's okay," Harry said. "Er...what are you doing?" He suddenly noticed that the walls of the room had been painted in pastel colors of yellow and green, and that Hob had apparently brought down some old toys that had been stored in the attic, as well as the crib.

Now it was Hob's turn to look sheepish. "Hob was converting this room into a nursery."

All of the children gaped at him in shock. "Pr-Professor Blackmore's not pregnant, is she?" Harry exclaimed, feeling like he was going to faint.

But Hob shook his head, much to Harry's relief. "No, but the Mister and Missus just got married, and that means there will be children eventually...or at least Hob hopes so." Hob smiled wistfully. "Taking care of families is what Hob does best, and it has been a long time since Hob has had young children to look after." He gave Harry a worried look. "Doesn't Harry want brothers and sisters?"

"I, uh, haven't really thought about it," Harry admitted. It had never occurred to him that Sirius and Professor Blackmore might want to have children, but most married people did, didn't they? It was difficult to picture Blackmore being a mother...but on the other hand, she had always treated Lupin and Snape--and even Sirius, before they became engaged--in a motherly fashion. And hadn't Harry once thought to himself that it would be nice to have a brother or sister, someone whom he could be close to, unlike his cousin Dudley? He envied the Weasleys their large, loving family, even if the brothers did fight and tease each other a lot. "I guess it would be okay," Harry said. "It's just that the idea was a little shocking at first."

"Do you need any help?" Hermione offered.

"No, Hob can manage just fine."

"Well, then, we'll leave you to your work," Harry said, turning to leave.

"Er...the Mister doesn't know about this," Hob said hesitantly.

Harry grinned; it was clear that this was Hob's secret project, and it wouldn't do any harm to indulge him in his little fantasy. It would've been funny, though, to see the reaction on Sirius's face when he learned that Hob had been building a nursery. "Don't worry, it's our little secret, right, guys?"

"Right," Hermione, Ginny, and Ron chorused.

"Of course," Dylan said with a smile, then elbowed his foster brother in the side.

"Ouch! Oh, all right, what do I care, anyway?" Theodore said. "I won't say anything."

"Hob thanks you," the little man said, then returned to working on the crib.

"Well, that's about it," Harry said as they left the "nursery." "Buckbeak's room is upstairs, but he's gone off with Sirius and the Professor, and the attic is above that. It's mostly filled with junk."

"Buckbeak's room used to be Mrs. Black's room," Ginny added with a mischievous smile. "Sirius didn't like his mother very much."

"Having seen her portrait, I'm not surprised," Dylan said.

"I don't think it's funny," Hermione said, frowning. "I think it's sad that Sirius and his family were estranged and that they didn't get to make up before his parents died."

"Yeah, Mum was really upset when Percy wasn't speaking to us," Ginny said guiltily.

"Oh, come on!" Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Does Mrs. Black look like the making-up type to you? She could have lived for another century and she still wouldn't have made up with Sirius!"

"You're probably right," Hermione reluctantly admitted, thinking of the portrait downstairs. "But still..."

"Sirius says that family isn't always determined by blood," Harry said firmly. "I'm his family now, and so are Professor Blackmore and Professor Lupin!"

Theodore scowled, not really liking the thought of Lupin belonging to another family, even though he was aware that Lupin loved Sirius Black like a brother, but Dylan smiled as he thought of his new family.

"Yes," Dylan said quietly, "Professor Lupin and Professor Snape and Theo are all my family now, even though we're not related by blood." Theodore's expression softened a little at that. "Although I guess that's not really true. We found out that Theo and I are distant cousins; Snape says that all the pureblood families are related if you go far back enough."

"Maybe you and Snape are related," Ron teased Harry.

Harry shuddered. "Don't even joke about something like that!"

Everyone laughed, even Theodore. "I'm sure Snape would be even more appalled than you if that were true, Potter!" he said.

"So what did you think of the house?" Hermione asked Dylan.

"It's nice," Dylan said politely.

"It gives me the creeps," Theodore said.

"Oh, don't be such a prat, Theo!" Dylan scolded, beginning to get annoyed with the way his foster brother kept baiting the Gryffindors.

"I mean it," Theodore said unhappily, and Dylan saw that he wasn't just being rude to get on the Gryffindors' nerves this time. "I wish we were back in Lupin's cottage."

"What's wrong, Theo?" Dylan asked in a gentler voice.

"It's just that it's your typical Slytherin pureblood mansion," Theodore replied. "Big and gloomy and you can almost smell the Dark Magic on it..."

"Hey, you should've seen it before we cleaned it up!" Ron said. "It was full of doxies and rats, and there were house-elf heads mounted on the walls..."

"It's actually a lot more cheerful and homey since Hob moved in," Hermione finished with a smile. "And Sirius got rid of all the Dark Magic items he could find."

"It reminds me of my home," Theodore whispered, his gray-green eyes looking murkier than usual. "Nott Manor, I mean, not the cottage."

Now that Theo had mentioned it, Dylan noticed that it did resemble Nott Manor, although it was a bit bigger and grander, since the Blacks had been wealthier than the Notts. He reached out and laid a hand on his foster brother's shoulder, not knowing what else to do.

That touch snapped Theodore back to reality, and he noticed that the Gryffindors were staring at him with looks of concern on their faces. It had been ingrained into him as a child never to show weakness in front anyone, especially an enemy, and it was a difficult habit to break, and just as hard to break was the belief that the Gryffindors were his enemies, no matter how many times Lupin assured him that wasn't true. So he threw back his head, laughed, and said lightly, "I can't believe this place was actually the Order of the Phoenix headquarters! It looks more like the sort of place a Death Eater would live!"

But his laugh was brittle and his eyes still looked haunted, so Ron bit back the reply that came to mind, which was: "Well, you should know!"

They headed downstairs in silence and found Lupin waiting for them in the drawing room. By that time, Theodore had managed to compose himself, so Lupin didn't notice anything out of the ordinary; if his foster son seemed a bit sullen, he chalked it up to his antipathy towards the Gryffindors.

"I did promise you some Japanese lessons, Hermione," Lupin said cheerfully. "We could start now, if you'd like."

"Oh yes, thank you, Professor!" Hermione said.

"You're welcome to join us," Lupin told Ron, Harry, and Ginny.

"Sure, it sounds interesting," Ginny said.

"Extra lessons?" Ron asked, sounding horrified. "During the summer?"

"I can see why your grades are so lousy," Theodore muttered under his breath.

"It's strictly voluntary," Lupin said with a smile.

Ron and Harry hung back uncertainly as Lupin settled down to work with Dylan, Theodore, and the girls. "Well, if everyone else is going to do it..." Harry said.

"Aw, come on, Harry," Ron said. "Let's go play Exploding Snap or something."

"Stay," Hermione urged. "It'll be fun."

"You have a strange idea of fun," Ron said.

"Stay or go, but please just be quiet," Theodore grumbled.

"Well, we can't play cards all day," Harry said with a shrug, and joined the study group. So Ron stayed too, but he spent more time leafing through Lupin's Japanese comic books than he did studying.

"Hey, these are kind of cool," he said.

"Yes, and if you'd pay attention, you might actually be able to read them one day," his sister told him dryly.

After about an hour, Lupin said, "That's enough for today; you kids go have some fun."

"What about studying for my N.E.W.T.s?" Theodore asked.

"This is your summer vacation," Lupin said firmly. "Skipping one day won't hurt."

"But we didn't do any studying yesterday because of the wedding and Professor Snape--"

"I'll handle Severus," Lupin said with a smile. "Go have some fun; that's an order."

That order might be easier to follow if he hadn't been stuck in a house full of Gryffindors, Theodore thought to himself disgruntledly, but he followed the other children out of the room.

"Geez, Nott, you study almost as much as Hermione does," Ron said.

"If you did too, you'd get better grades," Hermione told him in a huffy voice.

"It's not really my idea," Theodore said. "Snape makes us study for at least an hour or two every day."

"He says it's important, especially for Theo, because his N.E.W.T.s are coming up," Dylan added. Hermione nodded approvingly.

"Man, I'm glad Snape's not my dad!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you're not my brother!" Theodore snapped.

"It's not so bad, really," Dylan said, keeping his voice calm and level although he was privately thinking that before the two weeks were up he'd probably be sorely tempted to strangle both Theo and Weasley. "It's not like there's much else to do but study anyway, living in the middle of the woods. And Lupin makes sure that Snape gives us a break every now and then. Although one nice thing about living in the woods is that we can practice our Quidditch moves. You can't fly around in the middle of the city without risking Muggles seeing you."

"Yeah, that's true," Harry agreed regretfully. "I'd sure like to get some practice in before school starts. Especially since you Slytherins have already started practicing!"

"What?" Ron asked. "Hey, no fair!"

"Well, maybe Remus will let us go back to the cottage one day, and we could have a practice match," Dylan suggested cheerfully. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"

"Do you think Snape will go for that?" Theodore asked skeptically.

"Remus is the only one we need to convince," Dylan said dismissively. "He always gets Snape to do whatever he wants...eventually."

Theodore smiled. "Don't let Snape hear you say that!"

Dylan laughed and the girls giggled, while Ron muttered, "I still can't get used to those two being together!"

Later that night, they all gathered together in the drawing room after dinner. Dylan and Hermione sat in one corner of the room, quietly discussing a book they had read, while Harry and Lupin played a game of wizard chess. Ginny cheered on Lupin, while Ron rooted for Harry, offering advice every now and then.

"Hey, no coaching from the sidelines!" Lupin laughed. "I'm already handicapped to begin with; chess isn't really my game--Severus says I'm not devious enough."

"Not in chess, anyway," Snape muttered sourly to himself as he read a Potions journal. "He's devious enough when he's trying to get his own way about something."

Theodore was reading a book on runes, but he glanced up every now and then to watch Lupin and Potter, and every time he did so, he felt a little stab of jealousy and resentment. He wasn't sure why; he'd known all along that Lupin was a Gryffindor and that Potter's father had been one of his best friends, but he just didn't like sharing Lupin with Potter. Lupin, Snape, and Dylan were the only family he had now--his parents had been willing to hand him over to Voldemort, and his remaining blood relatives wanted nothing to do with him, while Potter was the Boy Who Lived, the savior of the wizarding world, who had no shortage of people who adored him. Theodore conveniently chose to overlook the fact that Potter was an orphan like himself, whose parents had been killed by Theodore's parents' Master.

Snape saw the look in Theodore's eyes and sympathized, because he knew that feeling all too well. He hated sharing Lupin with anyone but his two foster sons, and he especially hated sharing him with Potter, although the worst edge of his animosity had been blunted after the war ended. Snape was finally content now that he and Lupin were able to openly live together as lovers, and as much as he complained about the werewolf's exhibitionism and public displays of affection, he secretly enjoyed them because they were proof of Lupin's devotion to him. But still, he understood what Theodore was feeling, so he set aside the magazine he had been reading and said casually, "How about a game of chess, Mr. Nott? You're the first challenging opponent I've had in a long time; it's no fun playing against the werewolf--I can beat him in less time than it takes Longbottom to melt a cauldron."

Theodore laughed, looking very pleased, while Ron glared at Snape. Harry would also have taken offense at the comment about Neville, but somehow he had the strange feeling that Snape didn't really mean it. Lupin seemed to agree, because he just grinned and winked at his lover. Dylan laughed, and the girls looked startled but impressed; it wasn't often that Snape handed out compliments to his students, even the Slytherins. Theodore Apparated to his room to fetch the chess set that had been Lupin's birthday gift (Dylan cheerfully called out, "Show-off!" as he vanished), and the rest of the evening passed pleasantly.

Later that night in bed, Snape told Lupin, "Theodore is jealous of Potter," and explained why he'd proposed the chess game.

Lupin sighed, looking worried. "It's only natural for Theo to still be feeling a little insecure, considering what his life was like before he came to live with us; I should have realized that he might resent Harry. I'll try to be more aware of it, and to reassure Theo that we love him."

"Subtly, Lupin," Snape warned, his pale face turning a little pink; he was still uncomfortable about throwing the word "love" around as freely as Lupin did. It was hard enough for him to verbally express his affection for Lupin, much less the boys. He supposed it was a good thing that Lupin was sentimental enough for the both of them. "He'll be embarrassed if he realizes that we noticed."

"Of course, Severus. I do know how to be subtle, you know."

"Oh, really?" Snape asked skeptically. "I didn't think that Gryffindors knew the meaning of the word; your idea of subtle seems to be pouncing on me at the head table..."

"I wasn't trying to be subtle, then," Lupin grinned, wrapping his arms around Snape's neck. "My idea of subtle is playing footsie with you under the table." Snape rolled his eyes and Lupin laughed. "But seriously, Severus, I'm glad you told me about Theodore." He sighed again. "It's going to be difficult, trying to spend time with Harry without hurting Theo's feelings. And I think Harry was a little hurt that I haven't been around much this summer, but we were just so busy with the boys moving in and all..."

Snape laughed and said, "It's your own damn fault, Lupin, for being so popular! Every brat in the school seems to adore you, from Potter down to Crabbe and Goyle, and even Malfoy! Now I, on the other hand, don't have that problem..."

"You're more popular than you think, Severus," Lupin said, smiling tenderly at him. "The Slytherins know how much you care about them now."

Snape looked horrified at that thought. "No, I don't think so, Lupin!" he said, shaking his head. "They're just grateful to me because I brought you into the dungeon."

Lupin thought it was more than that, but he let the matter drop. "Maybe if you could spend more time with Theo, he won't mind so much when I spend time with Harry. Your approval means a lot to him, too, you know."

"I'll try," Snape said dubiously, "but I think I make a rather poor consolation prize. And I think that Theodore's needs should come before Potter's; he is your foster son, after all, and Potter already has a godfather."

"Of course Theo is my son and my first responsibility is to him and Dylan," Lupin said, sounding very upset, "but Harry is like a nephew to me! His father was one of my dearest friends, and Harry is dear to me as well; I can't just cast him aside." But he felt better when Severus gently stroked his cheek in what was obviously an apologetic gesture; it was unrealistic to expect his lover to shed all those years of bitterness at once, but he was working hard to move beyond it, and that was what mattered. Lupin caught Severus's hand between his own hands, and brought it to his lips and kissed it.

"Slytherins are greedy," Snape said softly, tracing Lupin's lips with his fingertips. "We don't like to share."

"Well, that I can understand," Lupin said, nipping at Snape's fingertips playfully. "Because the wolf doesn't like to share, either. In fact--" He growled and bared his teeth. "--sometimes it's downright possessive."

"I love it when you go all wolfish on me, Remus," Snape purred.

"I love it when you purr like that, Severus," Lupin said, licking his lips. He tilted his head back, exposing his throat, and let out a little yelp of mingled pleasure and pain when Snape bit down there, hard.

"That does sound very wolfish indeed, Lupin," Snape said, grinning wickedly in a way that made Lupin whine in anticipation. "But what I would really like is to make you howl for me."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Lupin growled.

That was all the invitation Snape needed; he pushed Lupin down on the bed and covered his lover's mouth and body with his own.

A little while later, Harry and Ron sat bolt upright in bed as they heard what sounded like a wolf's howl echoing through the house. It awoke Mrs. Black's portrait, and she began shouting, "Begone from the house of my fathers!"

"What was that?!" Ron exclaimed.

"That sounded like Professor Lupin," Harry said.

"It's not a full moon tonight, is it?" Ron asked. "Snape didn't say anything about brewing the Wolfsbane Potion. What the hell are they doing up there?"

It was the middle of the night, so they were probably in bed...oh. Harry's face turned scarlet. "I think I'd rather not know," he mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head in attempt to muffle any other sounds that might be coming from upstairs. Downstairs, Ginny and Hermione were giggling and blushing furiously.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom directly above Harry's and Ron's, Dylan flushed and said, "I think they forgot to set a silence spell on their room."

"As if it isn't hard enough to sleep in this house as it is," Theodore grumbled. It was bad enough that the mansion reminded him of his childhood home, without having to listen to screaming portraits and libidinous werewolves!

"Sev," Lupin panted, as Mrs. Black's shouts finally sank in through the lust-filled haze fogging his thoughts. "Sev, stop!"

"What?" Snape asked, his voice just as breathless as Lupin's, but also tinged with impatience and annoyance. "Is something wrong? You certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself a minute ago."

"I am, very much," Lupin replied. "But I, um, think we forgot to cast a silence spell before we started."

Snape's black eyes widened as the significance of Mrs. Black's shouting finally dawned on him, and he cursed and lunged for his wand as Lupin laughed.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin! It's not funny!" Snape snapped, which just made Lupin laugh even harder.

***

Hob pulled the curtains shut over Mrs. Black's portrait, and silence fell over the house once more, and eventually the children fell asleep. But Theodore's dreams were troubled; the mansion, too much like his old home, had awakened unpleasant memories...

He was six years old, and playing in the living room with the new toy dragon he had gotten for Christmas. It was his favorite gift, not just because it could really fly, but because Uncle Rafe had given it to him. Uncle Rafe was his favorite relative; he always had time to hug Theo and play with him and tell him stories, and he never got mad at Theo the way Father did. It often seemed to Theo that he could never do anything right, at least as far as his father was concerned: he got punished when he made too much noise and disturbed Father, but if he sat quietly and and read a book, Father would say that he was raising his son to be a man, not some "sissy bookworm." And at family parties, he would get in trouble for fighting with his cousins when they teased him, but if he didn't fight back, Father would scold him for being a "weakling." Mother was nice to him, but only when Father wasn't around. Secretly, Theo liked his uncle better than either of his parents, although that thought made him feel a little guilty.

Theo laughed as the dragon flew around the Christmas tree, then his father came out of his study and swatted at the toy irritably, sending it sailing into the wall. One wing snapped off, and the dragon fell to the ground and lay still. "How can I concentrate with all that racket going on?" he snarled.

Theo didn't think that he had been that loud, but he knew better than to argue with his father, and although he was upset about his broken toy, he also knew better than to complain about it. "I'm sorry, Father," he said meekly.

"Sorry's not good enough!" Father snapped. "Maybe this will teach you to behave!" He raised his wand and cast a Stinging Hex.

Theo bit down hard on his lip to keep from crying, which would only make his father even angrier. Only after Father had gone back into the study and slammed the door did Mother appear. "Oh, my poor little Theo," she said, gathering him into her arms. Her embrace actually made his wounds hurt more, and he cried out in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear," she said, gently kissing him on the forehead. "Let's go put some salve on those welts; that will make you feel better."

"Why does he always hurt me?" Theo asked, sniffling a little as his mother applied salve to his wounds upstairs; it was safe to cry in front of Mother, as long as Father wasn't around.

"Oh, Theo," his mother said helplessly. "Your father has been...a little short-tempered lately; things have been stressful at the Ministry recently. You have to be a very good boy and be quiet while Father's working. It would probably be best if you only play upstairs in your room for the next few days."

"He gets mad when I'm quiet, too," Theo said sullenly. "Everything I do makes him mad."

"Oh, that's not true, dear," his mother said, but she didn't really look as though she believed it. "There," she said, as she dabbed salve on the last welt. "You'll feel all better by tomorrow." She kissed him and fussed over him, and Theo let her, but deep inside he resented that all she ever did was comfort him, and not stop his father from hurting him in the first place...

The dream shifted, and he was now seven years old. This time the attack was totally unexpected; Father was in a good mood, laughing and talking with his friend Andreas Avery, who had come over for dinner. Father had even been mildly pleased with Theo when he had demonstrated some of the hexes he was able to cast for Mr. Avery; at seven, he already knew a good deal more about hexes and curses than most first-years at Hogwarts did.

"I've been working on a new spell, Andreas," Father said, out of the blue. "Let me show you." He took out his wand, pointed it at a startled Theodore, and shouted, "Minuo!"

Theodore shrieked, as much in surprise as pain, as numerous shallow cuts opened up on his hands and arms and began bleeding.

"Clever!" Avery said approvingly. "Can you control the rate of the bleeding?"

"Of course," Father said, flicking his wand in a circular motion. The cuts widened and the blood began streaming out of them at what seemed to Theo to be an alarmingly fast rate, and he started to scream as Avery laughed. Mother just sat there, frozen, her eyes wide and her face pale. Father flicked his wand in the opposite direction, and the cuts slowly sealed themselves. "Oh, stop that screeching, boy, before I really give you something to scream about!" he said contemptuously. "Marta, get him out of here and clean him up."

Mother instantly jumped to her feet, grabbed Theo's wrist--which was slick with blood; the sleeves of his robe were soaked with it--and ran out of the room as he stumbled along behind her, trying to stifle his screams and sobs. She took him to his room and fetched a jar of healing salve, but as she reached for him, saying, "My poor Theo," he angrily slapped her hand away and the jar fell to the floor with a clatter. "Let me help you, my sweet. We need to put some salve on those cuts so they don't scar."

"If you really wanted to help me," Theo snapped, "you'd stop Father from hurting me!"

"But your father is the head of the household," Mother said. "It's not my place to--"

"Liar!" shouted Theo. "You're just a coward! You'd rather he hurt me than you!"

"That's not true!" Mother protested tearfully, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Go away!" screamed Theo. "I hate you!" His mother fled the room, sobbing.

***

Theodore whimpered in his sleep, and Dylan stirred slightly, not quite waking, but a worried frown crossed his lips as he slept. Meanwhile, Theodore continued to dream about the past...

***

He was eight years old, and he had run out of the house onto the estate grounds to cry where no one would hear him. But his Uncle Rafe had stopped by for a visit and found him. "What's wrong, Theo?" he asked gently. When Theo remained silent, he put an arm around him and said, "It's okay, Theo, you can tell me."

"I can't tell anyone," Theo whispered.

"You can tell me," Rafe repeated, but Theo shook his head.

"I'll get in trouble."

"You don't have to be scared, Theo," Rafe said, kindly but firmly. "I'll protect you."

"Really?" Theo asked, feeling a sudden surge of hope. He had always secretly wished that he could live with Rafe instead of his parents. "Even...even from my dad?"

"Did your father hurt you?" Rafe asked, his eyes and voice suddenly going hard and angry. Theo trembled a little, and his uncle's expression softened and he said in a gentler voice, "You can trust me, Theo, I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you. Not even your father." So Theo pulled up the sleeve of his robe, showing Rafe the blisters and welts on his arm; his father had been experimenting with a stronger variation of the Stinging Hex. "Thaddeus did that to you?" Rafe asked, sounding angry again.

Theo nodded, then said nervously, "He'll punish me if he finds out I told you. You said you'd protect me. Can...can I come live with you, Uncle Rafe?"

"Of course," Rafe said, giving him a hug, and Theo felt a profound sense of relief. "Go pack your things."

"Um..." Theo said, casting a fearful look at the house. "Maybe we should just leave now." He didn't care about his clothes or books or toys; he just wanted to be gone before his father realized he was missing.

"No," Rafe said, walking towards the house with a determined look in his eyes. "I'm not leaving your mother behind with Thaddeus."

Theo wanted to protest, "Mother can take care of herself!" It's not like she ever went out of her way to help HIM, after all! But he didn't want to make Rafe mad at him. As he followed his uncle, he had the sinking feeling that he had just made a terrible mistake by showing Rafe his wounds.

"Uncle Rafe, please don't, Father will be angry," Theo pleaded. "We can bring Mother, but shouldn't we wait till Father leaves for work?"

But Rafe ignored him and marched into the house, shouting "Marta!"

Mother came running out, followed by Father. "What's wrong, Rafe?" she asked, looking puzzled, her eyes flickering nervously towards her husband.

"Pack your bags," Rafe said curtly. "I'm taking you and Theo with me."

"Isn't this all a bit sudden? We don't have time to visit you now, but maybe later--"

"I don't mean for a visit, I mean permanently!" Rafe snapped. "I'm not leaving you and Theo in this house for another day!"

"Don't meddle in things that don't concern you, boy!" Father snarled. "You have no right to interfere with my family--"

"They're my family, too!" Rafe said. He grabbed Theo's arm and pulled up the sleeve of his robe before he could protest. "You have no right to call yourself a father, you monster!"

"Rafe, don't!" Mother begged.

"Look at what he's done to your son!" Rafe exclaimed. "How can you want to stay with him after that?"

"He's my son," Father said, in a low but dangerous voice that made Theo tremble. "I will do with him as I please. You're my wife's brother, so I'll give you one chance to walk out of here, and we'll forget this ever happened."

"I'm not leaving without Theo and Marta!"

"Do you think your parents will even want her back?" Father sneered. "All she meant to them was a marriage alliance; she's useless to them now--in fact, she'd bring shame upon them, fleeing from the marriage they arranged for her."

"If they won't look after her and Theo, then I will," Rafe said stubbornly.

"Stop this, Rafe!" Mother shouted urgently. "Please, just go! You're only making things worse!"

Rafe ignored her. "I've never liked you," he said to Father. "I always thought you were a sadistic bastard, and now I'm sure of it. You were a Death Eater--"

"RAFE!" Mother screamed in protest.

"I was under an Imperius Curse," Father said. "I was not responsible for my actions; the Ministry absolved me. They even hired me to work for them."

"You were a Death Eater in truth," Rafe hissed, "and I'll find a way to prove it and show everyone what you really are! The proof is already on your son's body that you've been experimenting with Dark Magic!"

"Rafe, stop!" Mother continued to scream. "Stop this right now!"

"You had your chance, boy," Father said, and pulled out his wand. Rafe reached for his own wand, but he was too late. "Avada Kedavra!" Father shouted, and Theo and Mother both screamed as Rafe fell to the floor, dead. "I will do the same to you if either of you breathes a word of this to anyone, do you understand me?" Father said in a deadly whisper, still holding up his wand. Mother nodded, tears streaming down her face, and Theo nodded frantically. Father's eyes narrowed as he looked at Theo, and he said, "Perhaps this will teach you to keep your mouth shut in the future. Crucio!"

Theo fell to the floor, screaming and writhing in pain as he was subjected to a Cruciatus Curse for the first time in his life...

The dream shifted yet again, and he was now sixteen years old. He was on the Hogwarts grounds, watching the Death Eaters battle Dumbledore and his allies. He watched the Dark Lord kill Cornelius Fudge with some sort of magical dagger that literally drained the life out of him. He watched a badly wounded Voldemort beckon to Thaddeus Nott, and he watched his father head towards him, a look of grim determination in his eyes. Theodore turned to flee, but Thaddeus called out, "Imperio! Come to me, Theodore!" And against his will, he found himself moving towards his father.

Apparently he wasn't moving fast enough, because Thaddeus grabbed him and literally dragged him towards the Dark Lord, as Theodore begged, "Please, please Father, don't do this, please!"

"I'm not happy about giving up my only heir, as worthless as you are," Thaddeus growled. "But it's you or me."

Theodore desperately pleaded with his mother to help him, but she was as useless as always, and simply stood there and wept. "Help me!" he screamed. "Somebody please help me!"

"Here, my Lord," Thaddeus said, shoving Theodore forward. "A sacrifice for you."

"Father, no!" Theodore shouted, then felt Voldemort's skeletal hands closing around him. "NOOOOO!!!"

***

Theodore's screams finally woke Dylan, and he ran over to his foster brother's bed and grasped his shoulder to shake him awake...

Part 15