![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Scars, Part 32
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa (OMCs), and a few other minor pairings
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III. (These stories are archived on my website and also on Moonshadow.)
Summary: The wounded are taken to St. Mungo's, where Lukas confronts a far more fearsome foe than Greyback: his angry wife; Snape, Lupin, and the Aurors go to Azkaban to meet with Walden Macnair.
Part 31
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa (OMCs), and a few other minor pairings
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III. (These stories are archived on my website and also on Moonshadow.)
Summary: The wounded are taken to St. Mungo's, where Lukas confronts a far more fearsome foe than Greyback: his angry wife; Snape, Lupin, and the Aurors go to Azkaban to meet with Walden Macnair.
Part 31
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once the wounded were safely deposited at St. Mungo's, Shacklebolt went off to report to Dawlish, who was predictably furious that they'd acted without his knowledge or permission, though somewhat mollified that Greyback and the Macnairs had finally been caught, and he could report to the press that the wizarding world was safe once again.
"You're just damned lucky that you managed to catch the killers and that no innocents were hurt in the process," Dawlish growled, confronting his three subordinates at St. Mungo's.
"Well, actually, Lukas and Ash were hurt, but the Healers say that they'll be all right," Lupin couldn't resist informing him. The Head Auror turned and gave him a sour look that managed to silently but eloquently convey the impression that one, he didn't consider the two werewolves to be "innocents," and two, Lupin should mind his own damned business.
"Because if anything had gone wrong, you three would all be out of a job," Dawlish continued, pointedly turning his back on Lupin. "And make no mistake, I will fire you the next time that you go running off on your own again! Is that clear?"
"But we--" Potter started to argue, then fell silent as Shacklebolt nudged him in the side with his elbow.
"Yes, Richard," Shacklebolt and Tonks chorused pleasantly.
"Yes," Potter said a bit sullenly, and then added a reluctant "sir" when prompted by another nudge.
Dawlish scowled, then went off to badger the Healers into letting him question Imogen. Snape smiled, suddenly feeling very cheerful that Potter's insolence was now being inflicted on someone else, particularly a someone that Snape didn't like.
Just then, Narcissa arrived, dramatically sweeping down the hall, wearing her velvet robes and her best jewelry almost like a suit of armor, like a knight about to go into battle, with her head held high and her eyes blazing with anger. Draco and several anxious-looking werewolves trailed behind her. Snape was impressed that she somehow managed to "sweep" instead of waddle, being nine months pregnant and close to her delivery date, but then, Narcissa's vanity probably wouldn't allow her to be anything less than graceful, even at a time like this.
"Where is my husband?!" she demanded, and Snape silently motioned towards Lukas's hospital room.
She stormed past him, and Lupin whispered, "Is it really safe to let her see him in that mood?"
"No, but if you think that I'm going to put myself between her and Lukas, you're even crazier than I thought, you idiot Gryffindor," Snape retorted. "Besides, he has it coming to him, considering how foolishly he acted."
"Yes, but I don't want my baby brother to grow up without a father," Draco said fretfully.
"She won't really kill Lukas...will she?" a dark-haired female werewolf asked nervously. She was a maid at the Leaky Cauldron, Snape recalled.
"Oh, I don't think so, Rachel," Lupin reassured her. "Although maybe we should check on them, just to be on the safe side."
"Dear Merlin," Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "She acts like a pampered lady most of the time, but I guess she really is a fit mate for a werewolf, after all."
They cautiously peered through the doorway to watch as Narcissa confronted her husband. Lukas was sitting on the bed while Takeshi Kimura treated his wounds, but after taking one look at Narcissa's face, the young mediwizard prudently removed himself from the line of fire and joined the crowd in the doorway.
"Isn't abandoning your patient a violation of the healer's oath?" Snape asked wryly.
"I can't heal anyone if I'm dead," Takeshi pointed out reasonably.
"Cyril Lukas Gravenor Diggory!" Narcissa shouted imperiously at her husband.
"Er...hello, dear," Lukas said, smiling at her weakly.
"Don't you 'hello, dear' me!" she snapped. "You're a married man with a baby on the way! You can't go running off to play hero like some idiot schoolboy!"
"I never went to school," Lukas protested.
"Don't play semantics with me, Cyril!" Narcissa retorted, and Lukas winced.
"That's a bad sign," Draco whispered. "She only calls him by his real name when she's really angry."
"But my dear," Lukas argued, "Ash had been kidnapped, and they were going to kill him..."
"He's an idiot," Snape muttered, shaking his head. "He ought to just grovel and beg forgiveness at this point."
"Yes, but it's precisely because he's an idiot that he got into this mess in the first place," Takeshi said pleasantly. "So you can't really expect him to know any better."
"Good point," Snape conceded.
Meanwhile, Narcissa was screaming, "You walked into a bloody trap, and what's worse is that you did so knowingly!"
"But I--" was all Lukas managed to get out before Narcissa shouted him down.
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't have gone to help him! But you should have been smart about it! You should have consulted with Severus and the Aurors, but no, you had to go charging in alone like some idiot Gryffindor hero!"
"I take offense to that," Lupin complained, although he smiled as he said it--and he was careful to keep his voice low enough that Narcissa couldn't overhear him, which proved that perhaps not all Gryffindors were idiotically reckless.
"But Ash--"
"What good would it have done him if you had gotten yourself killed?!" Narcissa shrieked. Her voice rose a full octave, and everyone within hearing distance, Snape included, winced in pain and clapped their hands over their ears--except for Lukas. He just hung his head guiltily, looking more like a pet dog being scolded for piddling on the carpet than the fearsome leader of a werewolf pack.
"What would have happened to ME if you got yourself killed before our son is born?! Were you going to make me raise this baby alone?! Were you going to let poor Cedric Drake grow up without a father?!"
"Narcissa, I--"
Lukas's words were cut off as his wife slapped him hard enough to make his head snap to one side. Snape could almost feel his own teeth rattling in sympathy.
"How could you do this to me?!" Narcissa screamed, then burst into tears.
"Narcissa, I'm so sorry," Lukas said, rising to wrap his arms around her. "You're right; I was a complete idiot. I should've trusted Remus and Severus and the others to help me. I'm not used to trusting anyone outside the pack, but that's no excuse. If it makes you feel better, you can hit me some more."
Narcissa giggled through her tears and slapped him again, though with much less force this time. "Don't make me laugh when I'm trying to be angry at you!"
"I'm sorry, dear," Lukas said meekly, although the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly.
Narcissa opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a gasp as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Narcissa?" Lukas asked anxiously. "What's wrong?"
"I think my water broke," Narcissa replied, clutching at her stomach. Snape looked down and saw that there was a puddle forming on the floor beneath her feet, soaking the hem of her robes.
"What?!" Lukas exclaimed, turning pale. "You're having the baby NOW?!"
"Sometimes stress can induce labor early," Takeshi said, giving Lukas a pointed look, and the werewolf flushed with guilt. The mediwizard gently took Narcissa by the arm and guided her to the bed. "I'll send for the midwife. Is there anyone else you would like me to call for you, Lady Narcissa?"
"Aileen," she replied, naming her best friend. "And Professor Blackmore. And..." She bit her lower lip, suddenly looking more like a schoolgirl than an expectant mother. "I want Andie," she whispered.
"Andie?" Takeshi asked, looking puzzled.
"I think she means her sister, Andromeda," Lupin explained, and Narcissa nodded. "I'll send a message to her, and to Aileen and Branwen."
"Thank you," Takeshi said, and hurried off to fetch the midwife.
The midwife arrived, and the other women followed soon after. Aileen patted Narcissa's hand and made soothing small talk, while Andromeda bent down to kiss her sister on the forehead, looking surprised but touched that Narcissa had asked for her. Branwen took charge of things with a stern but motherly air that Narcissa seemed to find reassuring, and unceremoniously threw all the men out of the room, although the female werewolves were allowed to stay.
"But...but...the baby...it's early...is she going to be all right?" Lukas protested, not quite coherently, in a plaintive voice that was closer to a whine than a growl. "I need to be with Narcissa!"
"He is the father, after all," one of the male werewolves pointed out, then paled and ducked behind his pack leader for protection when Branwen shot a withering glare his way.
"Finish getting your wounds treated, and change into some clean robes," Branwen said, gazing at Lukas's torn and bloody clothing. "Then I'll let you back in if you promise to remain calm. You'll upset Narcissa if you keep acting like you think something's going to go wrong with the birth."
"But it's coming early," Lukas whined. "Isn't that bad? And it will be my fault if anything happens to her or the baby!"
"It's not that early," Takeshi reassured him. "It's not that far from her expected delivery date, and all her previous checkups show that baby and mother are both healthy."
"It's not as if she hasn't done this before," Branwen reminded Lukas impatiently. "She had Draco without any problems."
"But that was eighteen years ago," Lukas argued. "And she didn't have to worry about the possibility of Draco being infected with lycanthropy."
"Healer Smethwyck and I will be on call in case there are any complications in that regard," Takeshi said soothingly. "But you really don't need to worry. The chances are slim that Cedric will inherit your lycanthropy, and even if he did, it normally wouldn't manifest for another four or five years."
"Pull yourself together!" Branwen snapped, giving Lukas brief, sharp slap across the face. "Narcissa needs a husband to support her, not another baby to look after!"
"Yes, ma'am," Lukas mumbled, hanging his head in shame. Having been on the receiving end of Branwen's lectures several times in the past, Snape might have felt sorry for him--if he hadn't run off alone on a suicidal rescue mission by himself, that is.
"Don't worry, Professor," Takeshi said cheerfully. "I'll give him a tranquilizer, if necessary."
"Do that," Branwen said, and firmly shut the door in their faces.
"I'll finish treating Lukas," Takeshi said. "The rest of you might as well go home for now; the baby probably won't arrive for at least another several hours."
Draco and the werewolves insisted on staying until the baby was born, even if they had to sleep in the waiting room. Snape asked about Henry, and was told that he was still in the hospital.
"Yes, he's in room 304, in the Potion and Plant Poisoning ward," Takeshi said. "He should be all right, but the venom from the Tentacula was unusually strong, so the Healers wanted to keep him here overnight for observation as a precaution."
When Snape and Lupin arrived at the room, they were surprised to hear a feminine voice laughing and chatting with Henry, and Lupin placed a finger across his lips as he peered through the doorway.
"Eavesdropping, Lupin?" Snape whispered, raising an eyebrow. "That's hardly very Gryffindor of you." But he also kept quiet and snuck a peek through the doorway.
Erika Dietrich was arranging some flowers in a vase on the nightstand next to Henry's bed. "Well, you more than kept your word, Henry," she said. "The killers have been found, and the Macnairs were proven to have been behind it all. A werewolf did commit the actual murders, but apprehending a long-lost Death Eater should offset the bad press and make Arthur Weasley into a hero, if he plays his cards right. So his job and the laws protecting the werewolves should be safe. And the Aurors couldn't have done it without you, I hear."
Henry flushed with pleasure but said modestly, "Oh, I just helped a little."
"More than a little," Erika said, her expression serious now, and she reached out to clasp his hand. "You put your own life at risk, which is far more than our bargain required of you. Whatever favor you ask, I will be more than happy to fulfill for you."
Henry's fingers tightened around hers, and he took a deep breath, as if to gather up his courage. "Actually, I've decided on what I want."
"Oh, already?" Erika asked, looking surprised. "Well, fine. As long as it is within my power as the Dietrich heir, I will gladly do as you ask."
"Oh, it's within your power, all right," Henry replied. "If you don't mind, I'd actually like to go back to your original proposal. That is, as my reward, I am requesting your hand in marriage."
"Oh!" Erika exclaimed, looking shocked but not displeased. "But I thought you said that you didn't want to marry anyone, that you weren't interested in political ambition."
"Ah, well," Henry said, smiling sheepishly. "I sort of had a change of heart when I was nearly killed in the swamp. A near-death experience puts things into a totally different perspective, makes you realize what's really important to you."
"I see," Erika said with a smile. "You've gotten in touch with your inner Slytherin?"
"Yes," he replied, smiling back at her. "I find that I've discovered boundless depths of ambition within my heart."
"And will you still wish to continue your work as a scholar?"
"Of course. It's an ideal situation for me: I get to continue the research that I love, while my wife does all the work of running our estate."
"I see; you reap the benefits without having to do the labor."
"Exactly."
"You are a true Slytherin, after all."
"Thank you. But I think I will spend a little less time abroad than I planned."
"You need to keep an eye on your investment."
"Exactly."
By this time, the two of them were grinning at each other like a couple of idiots. "This is a completely professional and political transaction, you understand," Erika clarified.
"Oh, absolutely," Henry agreed. "I'm not the romantic type at all. It just seemed perfectly logical that I should marry the one woman I've met who is able to both put up with my work and make my family happy."
"Just so it's understood."
"Now that we've agreed that it's a purely political marriage, will you consent to be my bride?"
"Well, I do have one more condition," Erika said. "If my eldest child is a girl, I intend to name her as my heir."
"That's fine with me," Henry agreed.
"Then I have no objections."
"Good. Then our bargain is sealed. And, er...I do understand that a betrothal ceremony is traditionally sealed with a kiss."
"Well then, being good Slytherins, we shouldn't break with tradition."
As the two of them kissed, with somewhat more enthusiasm than was the norm for a "purely political" betrothal, Snape motioned Lupin away from the door.
"Henry seems to be recovering quite nicely, and I don't think he would appreciate being disturbed right now."
"My goodness," Lupin said, looking a little bemused. "Is that what a typical Slytherin courtship is like?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it 'typical,'" Snape said with a grin. "Although it is quite typical of a Slytherin to find a practical rationalization to justify a personal pleasure."
"Ah," Lupin said, linking his arm through Snape's. "So what is your rationalization for being with me?"
"I get to test potions on you," Snape replied promptly. "Inventing the Wolfsbane Potion has certainly bolstered my reputation as a Potions Master. Also, you're good in bed."
"And which is more important?" Lupin asked with a grin.
"Which do you think, you idiot werewolf?"
"Well, you haven't made any alterations to the Wolfsbane Potion in quite some time, so I think maybe I ought to brush up on my bedroom skills."
"A wise decision, Lupin."
"Which would require a great deal of practice..."
Snape was about to suggest that they go home and get some practice right now, when the four Aurors appeared. Dawlish scowled at them, and Lupin smiled back at him cheerily, still clinging to Snape's arm, which caused the Auror's scowl to deepen. Snape didn't normally care for public displays of affection, but since it seemed to be annoying Dawlish, he didn't push Lupin away. Or at least, that was his Slytherin rationalization for it.
"Imogen will live, although she doesn't seem very happy about it," Tonks informed them. "When she's recovered, she'll be transferred to Azkaban, and I expect she'll be sentenced to life in prison. And since she's a werewolf now, I suppose the prison will have to obtain a supply of Wolfsbane Potion." She and Shacklebolt gazed expectantly at Snape.
"I'll make it," Snape said, since he did still feel a lingering sense of responsibility for Imogen. But it was against his principles to do a favor for the Ministry without recompense, so he added, "For a nominal fee, of course. It is an expensive and time-consuming potion to make, after all."
"The Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program provides the potion at Ministry expense for any werewolf who needs it, so we can submit your expenses to that account," Shacklebolt said. "I don't see any problem with that, do you, Richard?"
When Dawlish looked as though he were about to balk at that suggestion, Tonks added, "Imogen will be a danger to herself and the guards during the full moon if she is denied the potion."
"Oh, very well," Dawlish conceded with ill grace, then muttered under his breath, "Although it's not as if he doesn't make it for Lupin every month anyway."
"We're going to Azkaban to interview Walden Macnair," Tonks told Snape.
"We know now that he was behind the whole thing, although since he's already serving a life sentence, there's not much more that we can do to him," Dawlish grumbled. "The bastard ought to be executed, but unfortunately, Arthur doesn't believe in that sort of thing."
"For once, you and I agree on something," Snape said grimly, and the Auror gave him a faint smile of grudging respect.
"Did you want to come with us?" Tonks asked. "Seeing as how Warren and Imogen were your students and all..."
"Yes," Snape replied, and Lupin squeezed his arm and leaned over to whisper into his ear.
"Please don't kill him, Severus, no matter how much he deserves it. I would be quite desolate if you were sentenced to Azkaban for murder, and I was left to languish alone in our bed at nights."
That thought was enough to keep Snape from doing anything foolish. He certainly wasn't about to give anyone the chance to replace him in bed with Lupin. Not that he doubted Lupin's faithfulness, but the werewolf was more attractive than he realized, and there were any number of lecherous individuals who might try to take advantage of Lupin's good nature and Gryffindor naivete.
"Very well, Lupin," Snape said, as if humoring his lover, and Lupin smiled and gave him a little wink.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Greyback is dead," Dawlish bluntly told Macnair when they arrived at Azkaban. "We know that you were behind all the recent murders."
Macnair looked shaken, but still tried to bluster, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's over, Macnair!" Dawlish snapped. "Your daughter confessed everything! You had your children free Greyback in order to frame your bastard son for murder!"
Macnair turned pale, but retorted, "My children would never betray me!"
Shacklebolt gave him a hard and cold look. "She didn't intend to betray you, but she was near death, hysterical with pain and grief, and she was ranting and raving about how your bastard son destroyed the Macnair family."
"Near death?" Macnair gasped, clutching at the bars of his cell door for support. "You're lying!" he shouted, his eyes turning to stare pleadingly at Snape to deny Shacklebolt's statement.
"It's true," Snape told him coldly. "Greyback is dead, killed by Cyril Lukas Diggory, leader of the werewolves. Before he died, he bit Imogen--"
"No!" Macnair screamed. "They made an Unbreakable Vow!"
"Greyback was dying, anyway; he didn't care what the Vow would do to him," Snape said. "But he didn't do it to hurt Imogen; he did it to save her. She was mortally wounded in combat, and would have died if he hadn't bitten her. Apparently he was in love with her. He cared more for her safety than you did, Walden."
"No! It's not true; you're lying to trick me!"
"Warren is dead, too," Snape continued, relentlessly and mercilessly. "Ironically enough, he was slain by a rebounded Killing Curse that he cast himself. He was trying to kill the Boy Who Lived, who continues to live up to his reputation, it seems."
"Liar!"
"Here's your proof," Dawlish said, holding up photographs that had been taken of Greyback's and Warren's bodies. "And your daughter will be joining you in Azkaban soon enough, so you'll be able to see for yourself that we're telling the truth."
"No," Macnair whispered, but his shoulders slumped and Snape could see the defeat in his face as tears welled in his eyes and slowly slid down his cheeks. "My son...dead? And my beautiful daughter turned into a beast?"
"Oh, and by the way, your illegitimate son, Ash Randolf, formerly Ethan Madley, is alive and well," Dawlish taunted. "Perhaps he'll even be awarded your estate, now that all the other Macnairs are dead or incarcerated."
"You did this, you traitor!" Macnair screamed, throwing himself against the cell door like a wild animal in a frenzy, trying to reach at Snape through the bars. "You killed my son, destroyed my family!"
Snape quickly took a few steps back as Macnair screamed in frustration. "No, you did that all on your own, Walden," he said contemptuously. "Your son and daughter were, if not exactly innocent, not guilty of any crimes, either. You could have left them alone to live their lives in peace and freedom. They were being ostracized, true, but they were young and the public is fickle. If they were careful to keep a low profile and flatter the right people, eventually they would have been accepted back into society again. I had some respect for you once, Walden, because despite all your other faults, I thought that you sincerely cared about your children."
"I do!" Macnair sobbed in protest. "They're my own flesh and blood, my beloved son and daughter!"
"If they're so precious to you, why did you sacrifice them for the sake of your own pride?" Snape snarled at him in disgust. "To eliminate an illegitimate son who had no idea that you were his father, whose mother had not spoken to you in nearly three decades?"
"But that article came out in the Prophet!" Macnair wailed. "I thought someone might notice the resemblance, or that Rosalind would reveal my identity!"
"So you risked the lives of your children in order to protect your reputation?!" Potter demanded before Snape had a chance to continue berating Macnair. "A father is supposed to protect his children!"
The boy's green eyes were filled with fury and outrage, and at first, Snape was startled that Potter was feeling such outrage on behalf of a couple of Slytherins, particularly ones who had proven themselves to be cold-blooded murderers. But then he remembered that Potter's parents had sacrificed themselves for him, and despite the hardships of his childhood, he had somehow retained a sense of innocence and idealism. A parent who would use and sacrifice his children as Macnair had probably seemed like an abomination to the boy.
"How dare you judge me, boy?!" Macnair screamed, with such force that spittle flew from his mouth. "If you had died as you should have that night in Godric's Hollow, then my children would still be safe and unharmed! We would be ruling the wizarding world at the Dark Lord's side!"
"It's always someone else's fault, isn't it, Walden?" Snape sneered. "Mine, Potter's, Dumbledore's, the Aurors', maybe even the Dark Lord's for allowing himself to be killed by a mere boy. Well, take a look in the mirror, Walden! You sent your children, talented mages but untested in real combat, to work with a werewolf whom you knew to be a homicidal maniac! Never mind the risk of them being arrested or killed by Aurors--did it ever occur to you that Greyback might lose control and attack them in spite of the Unbreakable Vow? He couldn't control himself when he was a Death Eater, not even when the moon wasn't full! And you entrusted your children to him!"
"You should have left well enough alone, Macnair," Lupin said quietly. "At worst, you would have suffered the embarrassment of having an illegitimate werewolf son become public knowledge, but at least Warren and Imogen would have been alive and well."
Macnair fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "What have I done?" he sobbed brokenly. "Warren, my loyal son...and Imogen, my clever little girl...please forgive me!"
Snape, Lupin, and the Aurors left him sobbing on the floor of his cell. "Well, I take it back," Dawlish said, solemnly but with a certain sense of satisfaction. "I believe that letting him live is a worse punishment than execution."
"I agree," Snape said, but whatever satisfaction he might have taken in Macnair's misery was canceled out by the knowledge that he had been unable to save Warren and Imogen.
Lupin gently took Snape's hand and gave him a sad, understanding smile. "Shall we return home now, Severus?"
"Yes," Snape said, lacing his fingers through Lupin's, drawing comfort from his lover's touch. "Let us return home and await the arrival of the newest addition to the Diggory family."
Part 33
Once the wounded were safely deposited at St. Mungo's, Shacklebolt went off to report to Dawlish, who was predictably furious that they'd acted without his knowledge or permission, though somewhat mollified that Greyback and the Macnairs had finally been caught, and he could report to the press that the wizarding world was safe once again.
"You're just damned lucky that you managed to catch the killers and that no innocents were hurt in the process," Dawlish growled, confronting his three subordinates at St. Mungo's.
"Well, actually, Lukas and Ash were hurt, but the Healers say that they'll be all right," Lupin couldn't resist informing him. The Head Auror turned and gave him a sour look that managed to silently but eloquently convey the impression that one, he didn't consider the two werewolves to be "innocents," and two, Lupin should mind his own damned business.
"Because if anything had gone wrong, you three would all be out of a job," Dawlish continued, pointedly turning his back on Lupin. "And make no mistake, I will fire you the next time that you go running off on your own again! Is that clear?"
"But we--" Potter started to argue, then fell silent as Shacklebolt nudged him in the side with his elbow.
"Yes, Richard," Shacklebolt and Tonks chorused pleasantly.
"Yes," Potter said a bit sullenly, and then added a reluctant "sir" when prompted by another nudge.
Dawlish scowled, then went off to badger the Healers into letting him question Imogen. Snape smiled, suddenly feeling very cheerful that Potter's insolence was now being inflicted on someone else, particularly a someone that Snape didn't like.
Just then, Narcissa arrived, dramatically sweeping down the hall, wearing her velvet robes and her best jewelry almost like a suit of armor, like a knight about to go into battle, with her head held high and her eyes blazing with anger. Draco and several anxious-looking werewolves trailed behind her. Snape was impressed that she somehow managed to "sweep" instead of waddle, being nine months pregnant and close to her delivery date, but then, Narcissa's vanity probably wouldn't allow her to be anything less than graceful, even at a time like this.
"Where is my husband?!" she demanded, and Snape silently motioned towards Lukas's hospital room.
She stormed past him, and Lupin whispered, "Is it really safe to let her see him in that mood?"
"No, but if you think that I'm going to put myself between her and Lukas, you're even crazier than I thought, you idiot Gryffindor," Snape retorted. "Besides, he has it coming to him, considering how foolishly he acted."
"Yes, but I don't want my baby brother to grow up without a father," Draco said fretfully.
"She won't really kill Lukas...will she?" a dark-haired female werewolf asked nervously. She was a maid at the Leaky Cauldron, Snape recalled.
"Oh, I don't think so, Rachel," Lupin reassured her. "Although maybe we should check on them, just to be on the safe side."
"Dear Merlin," Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "She acts like a pampered lady most of the time, but I guess she really is a fit mate for a werewolf, after all."
They cautiously peered through the doorway to watch as Narcissa confronted her husband. Lukas was sitting on the bed while Takeshi Kimura treated his wounds, but after taking one look at Narcissa's face, the young mediwizard prudently removed himself from the line of fire and joined the crowd in the doorway.
"Isn't abandoning your patient a violation of the healer's oath?" Snape asked wryly.
"I can't heal anyone if I'm dead," Takeshi pointed out reasonably.
"Cyril Lukas Gravenor Diggory!" Narcissa shouted imperiously at her husband.
"Er...hello, dear," Lukas said, smiling at her weakly.
"Don't you 'hello, dear' me!" she snapped. "You're a married man with a baby on the way! You can't go running off to play hero like some idiot schoolboy!"
"I never went to school," Lukas protested.
"Don't play semantics with me, Cyril!" Narcissa retorted, and Lukas winced.
"That's a bad sign," Draco whispered. "She only calls him by his real name when she's really angry."
"But my dear," Lukas argued, "Ash had been kidnapped, and they were going to kill him..."
"He's an idiot," Snape muttered, shaking his head. "He ought to just grovel and beg forgiveness at this point."
"Yes, but it's precisely because he's an idiot that he got into this mess in the first place," Takeshi said pleasantly. "So you can't really expect him to know any better."
"Good point," Snape conceded.
Meanwhile, Narcissa was screaming, "You walked into a bloody trap, and what's worse is that you did so knowingly!"
"But I--" was all Lukas managed to get out before Narcissa shouted him down.
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't have gone to help him! But you should have been smart about it! You should have consulted with Severus and the Aurors, but no, you had to go charging in alone like some idiot Gryffindor hero!"
"I take offense to that," Lupin complained, although he smiled as he said it--and he was careful to keep his voice low enough that Narcissa couldn't overhear him, which proved that perhaps not all Gryffindors were idiotically reckless.
"But Ash--"
"What good would it have done him if you had gotten yourself killed?!" Narcissa shrieked. Her voice rose a full octave, and everyone within hearing distance, Snape included, winced in pain and clapped their hands over their ears--except for Lukas. He just hung his head guiltily, looking more like a pet dog being scolded for piddling on the carpet than the fearsome leader of a werewolf pack.
"What would have happened to ME if you got yourself killed before our son is born?! Were you going to make me raise this baby alone?! Were you going to let poor Cedric Drake grow up without a father?!"
"Narcissa, I--"
Lukas's words were cut off as his wife slapped him hard enough to make his head snap to one side. Snape could almost feel his own teeth rattling in sympathy.
"How could you do this to me?!" Narcissa screamed, then burst into tears.
"Narcissa, I'm so sorry," Lukas said, rising to wrap his arms around her. "You're right; I was a complete idiot. I should've trusted Remus and Severus and the others to help me. I'm not used to trusting anyone outside the pack, but that's no excuse. If it makes you feel better, you can hit me some more."
Narcissa giggled through her tears and slapped him again, though with much less force this time. "Don't make me laugh when I'm trying to be angry at you!"
"I'm sorry, dear," Lukas said meekly, although the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly.
Narcissa opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a gasp as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Narcissa?" Lukas asked anxiously. "What's wrong?"
"I think my water broke," Narcissa replied, clutching at her stomach. Snape looked down and saw that there was a puddle forming on the floor beneath her feet, soaking the hem of her robes.
"What?!" Lukas exclaimed, turning pale. "You're having the baby NOW?!"
"Sometimes stress can induce labor early," Takeshi said, giving Lukas a pointed look, and the werewolf flushed with guilt. The mediwizard gently took Narcissa by the arm and guided her to the bed. "I'll send for the midwife. Is there anyone else you would like me to call for you, Lady Narcissa?"
"Aileen," she replied, naming her best friend. "And Professor Blackmore. And..." She bit her lower lip, suddenly looking more like a schoolgirl than an expectant mother. "I want Andie," she whispered.
"Andie?" Takeshi asked, looking puzzled.
"I think she means her sister, Andromeda," Lupin explained, and Narcissa nodded. "I'll send a message to her, and to Aileen and Branwen."
"Thank you," Takeshi said, and hurried off to fetch the midwife.
The midwife arrived, and the other women followed soon after. Aileen patted Narcissa's hand and made soothing small talk, while Andromeda bent down to kiss her sister on the forehead, looking surprised but touched that Narcissa had asked for her. Branwen took charge of things with a stern but motherly air that Narcissa seemed to find reassuring, and unceremoniously threw all the men out of the room, although the female werewolves were allowed to stay.
"But...but...the baby...it's early...is she going to be all right?" Lukas protested, not quite coherently, in a plaintive voice that was closer to a whine than a growl. "I need to be with Narcissa!"
"He is the father, after all," one of the male werewolves pointed out, then paled and ducked behind his pack leader for protection when Branwen shot a withering glare his way.
"Finish getting your wounds treated, and change into some clean robes," Branwen said, gazing at Lukas's torn and bloody clothing. "Then I'll let you back in if you promise to remain calm. You'll upset Narcissa if you keep acting like you think something's going to go wrong with the birth."
"But it's coming early," Lukas whined. "Isn't that bad? And it will be my fault if anything happens to her or the baby!"
"It's not that early," Takeshi reassured him. "It's not that far from her expected delivery date, and all her previous checkups show that baby and mother are both healthy."
"It's not as if she hasn't done this before," Branwen reminded Lukas impatiently. "She had Draco without any problems."
"But that was eighteen years ago," Lukas argued. "And she didn't have to worry about the possibility of Draco being infected with lycanthropy."
"Healer Smethwyck and I will be on call in case there are any complications in that regard," Takeshi said soothingly. "But you really don't need to worry. The chances are slim that Cedric will inherit your lycanthropy, and even if he did, it normally wouldn't manifest for another four or five years."
"Pull yourself together!" Branwen snapped, giving Lukas brief, sharp slap across the face. "Narcissa needs a husband to support her, not another baby to look after!"
"Yes, ma'am," Lukas mumbled, hanging his head in shame. Having been on the receiving end of Branwen's lectures several times in the past, Snape might have felt sorry for him--if he hadn't run off alone on a suicidal rescue mission by himself, that is.
"Don't worry, Professor," Takeshi said cheerfully. "I'll give him a tranquilizer, if necessary."
"Do that," Branwen said, and firmly shut the door in their faces.
"I'll finish treating Lukas," Takeshi said. "The rest of you might as well go home for now; the baby probably won't arrive for at least another several hours."
Draco and the werewolves insisted on staying until the baby was born, even if they had to sleep in the waiting room. Snape asked about Henry, and was told that he was still in the hospital.
"Yes, he's in room 304, in the Potion and Plant Poisoning ward," Takeshi said. "He should be all right, but the venom from the Tentacula was unusually strong, so the Healers wanted to keep him here overnight for observation as a precaution."
When Snape and Lupin arrived at the room, they were surprised to hear a feminine voice laughing and chatting with Henry, and Lupin placed a finger across his lips as he peered through the doorway.
"Eavesdropping, Lupin?" Snape whispered, raising an eyebrow. "That's hardly very Gryffindor of you." But he also kept quiet and snuck a peek through the doorway.
Erika Dietrich was arranging some flowers in a vase on the nightstand next to Henry's bed. "Well, you more than kept your word, Henry," she said. "The killers have been found, and the Macnairs were proven to have been behind it all. A werewolf did commit the actual murders, but apprehending a long-lost Death Eater should offset the bad press and make Arthur Weasley into a hero, if he plays his cards right. So his job and the laws protecting the werewolves should be safe. And the Aurors couldn't have done it without you, I hear."
Henry flushed with pleasure but said modestly, "Oh, I just helped a little."
"More than a little," Erika said, her expression serious now, and she reached out to clasp his hand. "You put your own life at risk, which is far more than our bargain required of you. Whatever favor you ask, I will be more than happy to fulfill for you."
Henry's fingers tightened around hers, and he took a deep breath, as if to gather up his courage. "Actually, I've decided on what I want."
"Oh, already?" Erika asked, looking surprised. "Well, fine. As long as it is within my power as the Dietrich heir, I will gladly do as you ask."
"Oh, it's within your power, all right," Henry replied. "If you don't mind, I'd actually like to go back to your original proposal. That is, as my reward, I am requesting your hand in marriage."
"Oh!" Erika exclaimed, looking shocked but not displeased. "But I thought you said that you didn't want to marry anyone, that you weren't interested in political ambition."
"Ah, well," Henry said, smiling sheepishly. "I sort of had a change of heart when I was nearly killed in the swamp. A near-death experience puts things into a totally different perspective, makes you realize what's really important to you."
"I see," Erika said with a smile. "You've gotten in touch with your inner Slytherin?"
"Yes," he replied, smiling back at her. "I find that I've discovered boundless depths of ambition within my heart."
"And will you still wish to continue your work as a scholar?"
"Of course. It's an ideal situation for me: I get to continue the research that I love, while my wife does all the work of running our estate."
"I see; you reap the benefits without having to do the labor."
"Exactly."
"You are a true Slytherin, after all."
"Thank you. But I think I will spend a little less time abroad than I planned."
"You need to keep an eye on your investment."
"Exactly."
By this time, the two of them were grinning at each other like a couple of idiots. "This is a completely professional and political transaction, you understand," Erika clarified.
"Oh, absolutely," Henry agreed. "I'm not the romantic type at all. It just seemed perfectly logical that I should marry the one woman I've met who is able to both put up with my work and make my family happy."
"Just so it's understood."
"Now that we've agreed that it's a purely political marriage, will you consent to be my bride?"
"Well, I do have one more condition," Erika said. "If my eldest child is a girl, I intend to name her as my heir."
"That's fine with me," Henry agreed.
"Then I have no objections."
"Good. Then our bargain is sealed. And, er...I do understand that a betrothal ceremony is traditionally sealed with a kiss."
"Well then, being good Slytherins, we shouldn't break with tradition."
As the two of them kissed, with somewhat more enthusiasm than was the norm for a "purely political" betrothal, Snape motioned Lupin away from the door.
"Henry seems to be recovering quite nicely, and I don't think he would appreciate being disturbed right now."
"My goodness," Lupin said, looking a little bemused. "Is that what a typical Slytherin courtship is like?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it 'typical,'" Snape said with a grin. "Although it is quite typical of a Slytherin to find a practical rationalization to justify a personal pleasure."
"Ah," Lupin said, linking his arm through Snape's. "So what is your rationalization for being with me?"
"I get to test potions on you," Snape replied promptly. "Inventing the Wolfsbane Potion has certainly bolstered my reputation as a Potions Master. Also, you're good in bed."
"And which is more important?" Lupin asked with a grin.
"Which do you think, you idiot werewolf?"
"Well, you haven't made any alterations to the Wolfsbane Potion in quite some time, so I think maybe I ought to brush up on my bedroom skills."
"A wise decision, Lupin."
"Which would require a great deal of practice..."
Snape was about to suggest that they go home and get some practice right now, when the four Aurors appeared. Dawlish scowled at them, and Lupin smiled back at him cheerily, still clinging to Snape's arm, which caused the Auror's scowl to deepen. Snape didn't normally care for public displays of affection, but since it seemed to be annoying Dawlish, he didn't push Lupin away. Or at least, that was his Slytherin rationalization for it.
"Imogen will live, although she doesn't seem very happy about it," Tonks informed them. "When she's recovered, she'll be transferred to Azkaban, and I expect she'll be sentenced to life in prison. And since she's a werewolf now, I suppose the prison will have to obtain a supply of Wolfsbane Potion." She and Shacklebolt gazed expectantly at Snape.
"I'll make it," Snape said, since he did still feel a lingering sense of responsibility for Imogen. But it was against his principles to do a favor for the Ministry without recompense, so he added, "For a nominal fee, of course. It is an expensive and time-consuming potion to make, after all."
"The Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program provides the potion at Ministry expense for any werewolf who needs it, so we can submit your expenses to that account," Shacklebolt said. "I don't see any problem with that, do you, Richard?"
When Dawlish looked as though he were about to balk at that suggestion, Tonks added, "Imogen will be a danger to herself and the guards during the full moon if she is denied the potion."
"Oh, very well," Dawlish conceded with ill grace, then muttered under his breath, "Although it's not as if he doesn't make it for Lupin every month anyway."
"We're going to Azkaban to interview Walden Macnair," Tonks told Snape.
"We know now that he was behind the whole thing, although since he's already serving a life sentence, there's not much more that we can do to him," Dawlish grumbled. "The bastard ought to be executed, but unfortunately, Arthur doesn't believe in that sort of thing."
"For once, you and I agree on something," Snape said grimly, and the Auror gave him a faint smile of grudging respect.
"Did you want to come with us?" Tonks asked. "Seeing as how Warren and Imogen were your students and all..."
"Yes," Snape replied, and Lupin squeezed his arm and leaned over to whisper into his ear.
"Please don't kill him, Severus, no matter how much he deserves it. I would be quite desolate if you were sentenced to Azkaban for murder, and I was left to languish alone in our bed at nights."
That thought was enough to keep Snape from doing anything foolish. He certainly wasn't about to give anyone the chance to replace him in bed with Lupin. Not that he doubted Lupin's faithfulness, but the werewolf was more attractive than he realized, and there were any number of lecherous individuals who might try to take advantage of Lupin's good nature and Gryffindor naivete.
"Very well, Lupin," Snape said, as if humoring his lover, and Lupin smiled and gave him a little wink.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Greyback is dead," Dawlish bluntly told Macnair when they arrived at Azkaban. "We know that you were behind all the recent murders."
Macnair looked shaken, but still tried to bluster, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's over, Macnair!" Dawlish snapped. "Your daughter confessed everything! You had your children free Greyback in order to frame your bastard son for murder!"
Macnair turned pale, but retorted, "My children would never betray me!"
Shacklebolt gave him a hard and cold look. "She didn't intend to betray you, but she was near death, hysterical with pain and grief, and she was ranting and raving about how your bastard son destroyed the Macnair family."
"Near death?" Macnair gasped, clutching at the bars of his cell door for support. "You're lying!" he shouted, his eyes turning to stare pleadingly at Snape to deny Shacklebolt's statement.
"It's true," Snape told him coldly. "Greyback is dead, killed by Cyril Lukas Diggory, leader of the werewolves. Before he died, he bit Imogen--"
"No!" Macnair screamed. "They made an Unbreakable Vow!"
"Greyback was dying, anyway; he didn't care what the Vow would do to him," Snape said. "But he didn't do it to hurt Imogen; he did it to save her. She was mortally wounded in combat, and would have died if he hadn't bitten her. Apparently he was in love with her. He cared more for her safety than you did, Walden."
"No! It's not true; you're lying to trick me!"
"Warren is dead, too," Snape continued, relentlessly and mercilessly. "Ironically enough, he was slain by a rebounded Killing Curse that he cast himself. He was trying to kill the Boy Who Lived, who continues to live up to his reputation, it seems."
"Liar!"
"Here's your proof," Dawlish said, holding up photographs that had been taken of Greyback's and Warren's bodies. "And your daughter will be joining you in Azkaban soon enough, so you'll be able to see for yourself that we're telling the truth."
"No," Macnair whispered, but his shoulders slumped and Snape could see the defeat in his face as tears welled in his eyes and slowly slid down his cheeks. "My son...dead? And my beautiful daughter turned into a beast?"
"Oh, and by the way, your illegitimate son, Ash Randolf, formerly Ethan Madley, is alive and well," Dawlish taunted. "Perhaps he'll even be awarded your estate, now that all the other Macnairs are dead or incarcerated."
"You did this, you traitor!" Macnair screamed, throwing himself against the cell door like a wild animal in a frenzy, trying to reach at Snape through the bars. "You killed my son, destroyed my family!"
Snape quickly took a few steps back as Macnair screamed in frustration. "No, you did that all on your own, Walden," he said contemptuously. "Your son and daughter were, if not exactly innocent, not guilty of any crimes, either. You could have left them alone to live their lives in peace and freedom. They were being ostracized, true, but they were young and the public is fickle. If they were careful to keep a low profile and flatter the right people, eventually they would have been accepted back into society again. I had some respect for you once, Walden, because despite all your other faults, I thought that you sincerely cared about your children."
"I do!" Macnair sobbed in protest. "They're my own flesh and blood, my beloved son and daughter!"
"If they're so precious to you, why did you sacrifice them for the sake of your own pride?" Snape snarled at him in disgust. "To eliminate an illegitimate son who had no idea that you were his father, whose mother had not spoken to you in nearly three decades?"
"But that article came out in the Prophet!" Macnair wailed. "I thought someone might notice the resemblance, or that Rosalind would reveal my identity!"
"So you risked the lives of your children in order to protect your reputation?!" Potter demanded before Snape had a chance to continue berating Macnair. "A father is supposed to protect his children!"
The boy's green eyes were filled with fury and outrage, and at first, Snape was startled that Potter was feeling such outrage on behalf of a couple of Slytherins, particularly ones who had proven themselves to be cold-blooded murderers. But then he remembered that Potter's parents had sacrificed themselves for him, and despite the hardships of his childhood, he had somehow retained a sense of innocence and idealism. A parent who would use and sacrifice his children as Macnair had probably seemed like an abomination to the boy.
"How dare you judge me, boy?!" Macnair screamed, with such force that spittle flew from his mouth. "If you had died as you should have that night in Godric's Hollow, then my children would still be safe and unharmed! We would be ruling the wizarding world at the Dark Lord's side!"
"It's always someone else's fault, isn't it, Walden?" Snape sneered. "Mine, Potter's, Dumbledore's, the Aurors', maybe even the Dark Lord's for allowing himself to be killed by a mere boy. Well, take a look in the mirror, Walden! You sent your children, talented mages but untested in real combat, to work with a werewolf whom you knew to be a homicidal maniac! Never mind the risk of them being arrested or killed by Aurors--did it ever occur to you that Greyback might lose control and attack them in spite of the Unbreakable Vow? He couldn't control himself when he was a Death Eater, not even when the moon wasn't full! And you entrusted your children to him!"
"You should have left well enough alone, Macnair," Lupin said quietly. "At worst, you would have suffered the embarrassment of having an illegitimate werewolf son become public knowledge, but at least Warren and Imogen would have been alive and well."
Macnair fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "What have I done?" he sobbed brokenly. "Warren, my loyal son...and Imogen, my clever little girl...please forgive me!"
Snape, Lupin, and the Aurors left him sobbing on the floor of his cell. "Well, I take it back," Dawlish said, solemnly but with a certain sense of satisfaction. "I believe that letting him live is a worse punishment than execution."
"I agree," Snape said, but whatever satisfaction he might have taken in Macnair's misery was canceled out by the knowledge that he had been unable to save Warren and Imogen.
Lupin gently took Snape's hand and gave him a sad, understanding smile. "Shall we return home now, Severus?"
"Yes," Snape said, lacing his fingers through Lupin's, drawing comfort from his lover's touch. "Let us return home and await the arrival of the newest addition to the Diggory family."
Part 33
no subject
how come you didnt post yoru updates?
no subject
no subject
you know, i had another friend who was too sick to eat on thanksgiving day....hmm....wonder if i knwo you...giggle.
no subject
no subject
I'm glad that you like Draco, too, although he doesn't have a big role in this story. I think my version of him was born when I was watching the CoS dvd, and I noticed that in the scene where Draco crashes at the end of the quidditch match, Lucius doesn't look at all concerned about his son, only disgusted that he lost. So though it's not book-canon, that got me feeling sorry for Draco and made me want to expand on his character.
no subject
no subject