FIC: Aftermaths, Part 36

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 36
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: ~9,550
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 Selima recover from the funeral; a confrontation takes place in Hogsmeade.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35

***

Much later, after all the guests were gone, Selima, Severus, Lupin, Dylan, and Theodore almost literally collapsed in the drawing room with exhaustion.

"Thank Merlin!" Severus said fervently. "I thought this day would never end! I swear there would have been blood spilled if I had to thank someone for their sympathies one more time, or listen to one more of Priscilla Parkinson's snide little comments..."

"She does seem to be a little...er...catty," Lupin said, with his usual polite understatement.

"She's a bitch," Selima said bluntly, taking a sip from her glass of wine. "Always has been."

Lupin stared at her in shock, and Severus asked, "Just how much have you had to drink, Mother?"

"No more than you, Severus," Selima replied.

"That's not saying much," Lupin pointed out, "considering that I've lost track of how many glasses of wine Severus had."

"I needed those in order to get through the day without using an Unforgivable Curse on one or more of the guests," Severus protested, and the boys laughed a little. "So what did the bitch--"

"Severus!" Lupin snapped.

Severus grinned. "Excuse me, I mean, what did Priscilla say to you earlier, Theodore?"

"How lucky I was to be a Snape since the Notts were tainted by association with the Death Eaters," Theodore replied.

Severus scowled. "I take it back, she is a bitch!"

"It's all right," Theodore said calmly. "She's nothing compared to the Death Eaters; you should have heard the way they used to talk about each other behind their backs...well, actually, I guess you would know about that. And she's all talk--it's not as if she's going to back it up with a Cruciatus Curse or something." Selima saw Lupin smile at the boy sadly, and remembered what he had said in the study, that she and Severin looked good in comparison to Theodore's real parents. She supposed that Priscilla probably seemed annoying but harmless to a boy who had lived among the Death Eaters all his life.

"Theodore handled her perfectly," Selima assured her son. "He managed to be polite, yet put her in her place at the same time." She turned to Theodore. "You did well today, child; you conducted yourself as a proper Snape heir should." Theodore smiled proudly, and Severus gave his mother a thoughtful look. Selima recalled Lupin's advice, to reach out to her son with small gestures, and said, "Thank you, Severus."

"For what?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"For coming to the funeral and going through with the ceremony and reception." She gave him a wry smile. "And for keeping your temper under control and not telling Priscilla or any of the other guests to go to hell."

"I did not want to return home and resume my role as heir," Severus said stiffly. "But I agreed to, so that Theodore might have an inheritance, and I will stand by my word and do my duty as a Snape."

Selima felt a twinge of bitter amusement at having her own words thrown back in her face, although Severus was not aware of what she had discussed with Lupin. She sighed wearily and said, "You are more like your father than you know, Severus."

Her son scowled and said, "There's no need to be insulting, Mother."

"It wasn't meant as an insult, Severus," Selima snapped. "Your father had his faults, but he was always a man of his word." She saw Lupin glaring at Severus, then said with a small smile, "But we had better stop arguing, or Professor Lupin will be cross with us."

Lupin laughed, and Severus regarded his lover and mother warily. "The two of you are starting to worry me," he muttered.

Vorcher entered the room and bowed. "Everything has been cleaned up, and the Hogwarts elves have gone back to the school, Mistress."

"Good work, Vorcher," Selima said, and the house-elf sniffled and rubbed at his eyes.

"Vorcher misses Master," the house-elf whimpered, as Severus stared at it, a combination of incredulity and distaste on his face. "But," Vorcher continued wistfully, "it was a grand funeral, with many important people. Surely Master would be proud."

"I'm sure he would be, Vorcher," Lupin said gently.

Vorcher sniffled a little more, then seemed to pull himself together. "Will Master Severus and Master Theodore and their friends be staying for dinner?"

"All Master Severus wants to do right now is sleep," Severus groaned.

"We should all get some rest," Selima agreed. "It's been a long day. Prepare something light, Vorcher, that can be kept cold. I'm not sure what time we'll be eating." Or if they would be eating; although Selima had eaten little during the day, she was not at all hungry, and felt as if she could sleep straight through till tomorrow evening.

"Yes, Mistress."

Severus frowned. "I told the Headmaster that I would resume classes tomorrow. Perhaps we should go back to the school now..."

Although the mansion had been much too big for just her and Severin, the space and solitude had never bothered Selima before, but suddenly, the house seemed bleak and empty with her husband gone. Which was odd, because she had never loved him, and they had essentially lived separate lives throughout most of their marriage. But once again she felt that unfamiliar and unwelcome pang of fear that had manifested earlier in the study with Lupin. "Everyone is tired, Severus," she said, trying to keep her voice cool and brisk. "Just stay here tonight; you can go back tomorrow morning."

"The Headmaster told you to take as much time off as you needed, Severus," Lupin said sternly.

"But Lupin--" Severus protested.

"Besides," Lupin said cheerfully, "I'm not sure you'll be in any condition to teach tomorrow morning, considering how much you've had to drink today. You might as well take tomorrow off; you can go back and terrorize your Potions students on Tuesday. And you might want to brew some hangover remedy before you go to bed."

Severus groaned, and the boys laughed. Although they looked tired as well, they seemed to be in better shape than the adults, probably because they hadn't been allowed to drink any alcohol at the reception. Severus must have been tired, because he gave in without further argument. "All right," he said. "I'll send Dumbledore a message that we're taking one more day off."

"I'll send it, Professor," Dylan volunteered. "If I can borrow Socrates, that is." Selima nodded.

"Thank you, Dylan," Severus said wearily. "I'm going to bed now, then." He left the room with Lupin, and Vorcher scurried off to the kitchen. Selima doubted that anyone but the boys would be hungry--or even awake--when dinnertime arrived, and they could simply have fended for themselves and eaten leftovers from the reception, but it was probably best to keep Vorcher busy. Often house-elves fell to pieces and became useless when their Masters died, usually temporarily, but it could become permanent if one wasn't careful; it was just as well that there was no butterbeer in the house. But keeping Vorcher busy and reminding him of his duty to the surviving Snape family members should keep him out of trouble.

Selima got up to head to her own bed, but Dylan called out, "Excuse me, Lady Selima, but I was wondering if it would be all right if Theo and I used Lord Severin's workshop to brew a potion."

"What potion?" Selima asked.

"I think that Remus was only joking when he said that the Professor should brew a hangover potion, but, well..." Dylan smiled mischievously. "I think he really might need one when he wakes up. I've never seen him drink so much before, not even at the Yule Ball, when he made it clear that it was the last place he wanted to be."

Selima noticed that Dylan politely refrained from mentioning how much she had drunk today, which was probably at least equal to whatever Severus had consumed, if not more. "Actually," she said with a cool smile, "everyone was quite civil today, considering how much alcohol was flowing amongst all the guests. When the dowager Lady Bletchley died a few years back, one of the Bletchley cousins got drunk, then picked a fight with his brother and turned him into a toad. A fluorescent green toad with pink spots; he slurred the incantation and inadvertently altered the spell, which in addition to the unusual color, made the hex rather difficult to remove. Even after poor Henry was restored to human form, it still took the spots--and the urge to snap at passing flies--about a week to fade."

The boys laughed. "So, can we use the workshop?" Dylan asked again.

"You may," Selima said, "but Severin hasn't used it for quite some time, and I'm not sure what ingredients are still there."

"The Professor showed us the workshop when he was giving us a tour of the house the first time we came over for dinner," Dylan replied. "It still seems to have the basic potion ingredients we'll need, and if we're missing anything, I can ask one of my friends at Hogwarts to owl it to me."

"Then feel free to use the workshop," Selima told him. "It's very considerate of you; I'm sure that Severus will appreciate your efforts." She smiled ruefully. "It's possible that I might, too."

Dylan smiled, but just said politely, "Then we'll send the Professor's message to Hogwarts and get to work."

Selima watched them leave, feeling a little bemused. Up until now, she had regarded the Rosier boy's presence as a necessary inconvenience, but he was always polite and well-spoken, and she had to admit that he had inherited Evan's considerable charm. Severus and Lupin treated Theodore and Dylan as if they were real brothers, and the boys certainly behaved as though they were, and Selima suddenly had the odd thought that she seemed to have acquired two grandsons for the price of one. Then she shook her head; her thoughts were being muddled by fatigue and alcohol and stress. She decided to go upstairs and get some rest, and sort out her complicated family relationships later.

***

As Snape started to undress for bed, Lupin caught sight of the signet ring on his hand, and gently grasped Snape's hand and examined the ring. It was a heavy, ornate gold ring carved with the Snape family crest of a serpent curved into an "S" shape.

Snape looked down at the ring, a weary look on his face. "I never thought I'd be wearing this one day," he said softly.

Lupin kissed Snape's hand, then released it. He bowed in an exaggeratedly courtly manner and said, "Lord Snape."

Snape found his gloomy mood lifting a little. "Then will you play Lady Snape, Lupin?" he asked with a smile. "And throw tea parties for the wives of the pureblood elite?"

"No, I think I will leave that to your mother!" Lupin laughed.

"Speaking of my mother, Lupin, what were the two of you talking about in the study?" Snape asked.

Lupin hesitated. "I sort of promised that I wouldn't tell you."

"That probably means you were talking about me," Snape said, his lips forming something that was halfway between a smile and a grimace.

"Not just you, Severus," Lupin said, his face serious and a little worried now. "I don't know if it was the stress or the cognac, but Lady Selima let down her guard a little, and talked to me about your father and her marriage."

"The thought of you and my mother having a cozy heart-to-heart chat is a little scary, Lupin," Snape said sardonically.

Lupin smiled, but it didn't really reach his eyes. "She didn't really tell me much, Severus," he said quietly, "but from what little she did say, I get the impression that she's had a difficult life. Think what it must have been like for her, an eighteen year old girl, coming to live with a complete stranger twice her age. And even in his younger days, I doubt that Lord Severin was easy to get along with."

Snape just grunted; Lupin had said something similar after their first visit together to Snape Manor, and the logical part of Snape's mind knew that he was right. However, it was difficult to picture his cool, imperious mother as a young girl, nervous and unhappy about going into an arranged marriage with a much older man. And having resented her for almost his entire life, it was even more difficult to let go of his animosity, although he knew that he was probably being petty. He didn't want to be objective about it, because that might mean that he would have to feel sorry for her, and he didn't want to feel sorry for his mother; he wanted to continue hating her.

"When I went after her," Lupin continued, "I knew that she didn't really want my company, so I asked if there was someone she would like to stay with her...a family member, a friend. But there was no one she could think of that she wanted to comfort her. She laughed in my face when I asked her if she wanted me to get her mother or brother, and when I asked her if she would prefer to have a friend stay with her, do you know what she told me? That she had none. That she had no real friends, only political allies. That seems like a very lonely life to me, Severus." Snape remained silent, and Lupin said softly, "You and I know better than anyone what it's like to be lonely."

"You want me to forgive her," Snape said in a flat voice, crossing his arms over his chest, a stubborn expression on his face. "But I don't think that my mother wants my forgiveness; she doesn't believe that she has done anything wrong." A troubled, almost torn look passed across Lupin's face, and Snape exclaimed, "Merlin's beard, Lupin! What on earth did my mother say to you?" Surely Lady Selima could not have been talking to Lupin about loneliness and forgiveness...could she?

Lupin hesitated for a long moment. "Perhaps you should ask your mother that," he finally said. "If you want to talk about forgiveness, or lack thereof, you should be talking to her directly, anyway."

"I don't want to talk to her about anything!" Snape said grumpily. "You're the one who brought it up."

"You came home, Severus," Lupin said, clasping Snape's hand again, and--not so incidentally--the Snape signet ring.

"Only for Theodore's sake," Snape said.

Lupin sighed, in that very familiar long-suffering way of his, then said patiently. "She has made an effort, you know. She's accepted me and Dylan as part of your life, included us in the invitations--"

"Only because she knows I won't come here without you," Snape muttered.

Lupin's vast store of patience seemed to be running out. "Severus Snape!" he said irritably. "I know that she has done so only grudgingly, and that she hasn't been very gracious about it, but do you really think that it was easy for your mother to welcome a werewolf into her home? Your oh-so-proper mother, who is the very epitome of a pureblood snob?"

Snape gave Lupin a puzzled look, and something suddenly dawned on him. "You like my mother, don't you?"

Lupin smiled, his eyes filled with affection and a hint of mischief. He slipped his arms around Snape and nuzzled his neck, saying, "I have a soft spot for arrogant, ill-tempered Slytherins." Snape laughed a little and pulled Lupin closer, holding him tightly; after this very long and trying day, it felt good to hold to hold Lupin in his arms. "But seriously," Lupin said, "I don't know if I can say that I like her exactly, but I admire your mother. It seems to me that she has survived things that would have broken a weaker person. Although..." Lupin smiled sadly. "I suspect she has unseen scars, as do you and I, Severus." Snape sighed, not quite ready to give in yet, but too tired to argue with Lupin. "And I like her a little better after watching her today. She stood up for Narcissa when those horrible women were sneering at her and making nasty comments--"

"Whatever happened to being fair, Lupin?" Snape interjected with a touch of sarcastic humor. "Maybe those horrible women had terrible childhoods or were forced into unhappy marriages, too."

"Shush," Lupin scolded, laying a finger across Snape's lips. "Don't interrupt. Besides, those women aren't my lover's mother, and there is a limit to even my Gryffindorish good nature."

Snape grinned. "Glad to hear it, Lupin."

"Shush," Lupin repeated, kissing Snape lightly on the mouth. "Now where was I? Oh yes, I saw Selima stand up for Narcissa and rescue her from those vultures. And I saw her smile at Theodore, when he put Priscilla Parkinson in her place. She even praised him, didn't she? She said that he had done well and behaved like a proper heir."

"Yes," Snape said slowly. Rescuing Narcissa like that was extremely out of character for his mother; the way she had smiled at and praised Theodore was less so, but it was still unusual for Lady Selima's icy attitude to thaw even that much. "Perhaps it was the alcohol; I've never seen my mother drink that much before. She didn't seem drunk, but then again, I've never seen her inebriated, so I wouldn't know what to expect."

"Your mother wasn't drunk, Severus," Lupin told him, then smiled. "At least, no more so than you. Although possibly the alcohol, in combination with the stress, might have lowered her inhibitions a little."

Snape was a little more inclined to, if not forgive, at least regard his mother with less hostility so long as she treated Theodore well, but he was too tired to organize his thoughts coherently. "Can we talk about this later, Lupin? I'm exhausted, and I can't think straight."

"Of course, love," Lupin said gently, looking a little guilty. They undressed and climbed into bed, and Snape almost immediately fell into a deep slumber, wrapped in Lupin's arms.

***

Snape and Selima slept straight through the afternoon into the night, although Lupin woke up in the evening and joined the boys for a light supper in the kitchen. Vorcher was still in a melancholy mood, and was more verbose than usual; without Selima or Snape there to stop him, he recounted tales of Lord Severin's glory days, when he had still had worked at the Ministry and there were many gala parties thrown at Snape Manor or the London townhouse.

"Everyone who was anyone came to the parties," Vorcher said with a wistful, nostalgic air. "All the important people in the wizarding world, even the Minister of Magic himself! The house was always empty and quiet when the Master lived alone, but that changed after Master married the Mistress. Then there were lots of dinners and parties, and people laughing and talking." Vorcher sighed. "The Mistress was so beautiful and elegant and charming; everyone said Master was lucky to have Mistress as a wife. Master often said he chose well when he married Mistress."

Vorcher continued, talking about how Severin had steadily risen in rank at the Ministry, and of how the Snapes' wealth and influence had increased after Severin's marriage to Selima. Lupin and the boys were also a little surprised to learn that Severin had been a scholar whose hobby was collecting and reading old spellbooks, and had enjoyed experimenting with and re-creating long-forgotten spells and potions in his free time--of which he'd had too little when he was working at the Ministry, and then too much when he was forced to retire.

"So, Severus shared at least one thing with his father...a love of knowledge," Lupin murmured thoughtfully.

"Then he should have been proud of the Professor when he became a Potions Master and teacher," Dylan said, sounding confused and a little offended.

Theodore shook his head. "No, among the pureblood elite, power is everything. If Lord Severin set aside his love of knowledge to pursue a political career, he would expect his son to do the same. A pureblood heir is always supposed to do what is necessary to strengthen his family's influence and advance their position in society."

"Duty over love," Lupin said sadly.

"Always," Theodore said solemnly.

"Not anymore," Lupin said firmly. "Not in this family."

"What's the point of being powerful if you're miserable?" Dylan wanted to know. "What's the point of having an important Ministry job if you'd rather be doing something else, or of marrying someone you dislike when there's someone else that you really love?"

"Most of the Death Eaters loved power more than they loved any person," Theodore said.

Vorcher frowned disapprovingly. "Upholding the family honor is more important than anything else!" he declared.

"I will do my best to be a good son to my father," Theodore said placatingly, which was not quite the same thing as promising to uphold the family honor, but Vorcher seemed mollified.

The next morning, as Lupin predicted, Snape woke up with a hangover. "I haven't felt this bad since Evan and Lyall spiked the punch at the Halloween feast back in fourth year!" he groaned as he stumbled down to breakfast, looking more pale and sallow than usual.

Lady Selima seemed to be suffering just as much, although she did it more quietly. She was immaculately dressed, as always, and her hair neatly combed, while Snape was looking a bit more rumpled than usual. The only signs of discomfort she showed were a slight paleness in her face, and the way she winced and rubbed her temples when Snape complained loudly. "Will you please lower your voice, Severus?" she asked irritably.

Dylan smiled and offered them the hangover potion, and both mother and son thanked him and gratefully drank it down.

"Remind me to give ten points to Slytherin when we get back to school," Snape muttered, the pained expression on his face easing slightly.

"Twenty," Selima sighed in relief, leaning back in her chair and sipping cautiously at a cup of weak tea, and Lupin ducked his head to hide his grin.

The hangover potion was not a complete cure-all, so Selima and Snape spent most of the day resting, while Dylan and Theo got caught up on their homework. Lupin watched over them, sipping a cup of tea and smiling contentedly. He felt a little bad for feeling so happy when Severin had just died, but he loved these little moments of time spent with his family, playing cards with the boys or watching them study. Most people would probably find them ordinary and mundane, but that was precisely why Lupin loved them so much--because he had never expected to have the sort of ordinary life most people took for granted. Then he chuckled a little, realizing that most people would hardly consider his family "ordinary"!

By teatime, Selima and Snape were feeling better, and came down to get something to eat, although they were both still rather subdued. They passed the rest of the day quietly, helping Selima write thank-you cards to all the people who had come to the funeral and/or sent them sympathy cards and flowers.

"I don't see why we have to thank people like Priscilla Parkinson for coming to sneer at and insult us," Snape grumbled.

"Because it's the polite thing to do, Severus," Selima snapped. "And because people will talk if we don't."

Snape snorted derisively. "Politeness is highly overrated, Mother. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"You could at least write thank-you cards to the Hogwarts staff and students," Lupin interrupted, before an argument could get started between son and mother. "Their condolences were sincere, at least, and you should thank them personally, since they came or sent flowers for your sake."

"Fine," Snape sighed, picking up a quill. It was, as he had once pointed out to Dylan and Theodore, usually easier to give in to the werewolf than waste time arguing with him.

They ate dinner at Snape Manor that evening, then prepared to return to the school. "Will you be all right?" Lupin asked Selima anxiously.

"I'll be fine, Professor," Selima said in a cool voice, but she flushed a little, looking embarrassed at his concern. "I don't need anyone to baby-sit me."

Lupin discreetly kicked Snape in the shin, and Snape winced and said, "Contact us if you need anything, Mother."

"Thank you, Severus, but I'll be fine." Selima hesitated for a moment, then added, "But perhaps you'd like to come for tea this weekend? I should go over some of the family finances with you and Theodore now that your father is dead. You are the Snape Lord now, Severus, and you should take an interest in your responsibilities."

"Yes, Mother," Snape said in a resigned voice, and Lupin, who had been about to kick him a second time, placed his foot back on the floor and smiled.

***

They were welcomed back warmly by most of the other staff members, and Snape had to endure another round of condolences. Dumbledore just patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's good to have you back."

Lukas stopped by their quarters, carrying a wire cage containing Lupin's pet rat, and Lupin thanked him for looking after Kiseki.

"I think your little friend must be happy to see you," Lukas told him. "He doesn't like me very much; he probably senses that I'm a predator." He grinned down at the rat, his lips pulling back to expose his sharp canine teeth, and Kiseki let out an agitated, high-pitched squeak as he ran in frantic circles around his cage. "Of course, a little thing like this would only be a mouthful for me..."

Lupin snatched the cage from him and cradled it against his chest protectively. "Really, Lukas!" he said indignantly. "There's no need to frighten a harmless animal!"

Lukas and Snape both laughed. "But Lupin's a predator, too," Snape pointed out.

Lukas snorted. "Lupin's about as dangerous as a bunny rabbit."

"Hey!" Lupin protested indignantly.

"Providing that nothing is threatening his mate or cubs," Lukas clarified.

Snape grinned. "It figures that even a rat can tell that you're a soft touch, Lupin!"

"Hmmph!" Lupin said, lifting the rat out of the cage and stroking it. "And who was it that told Dylan and Theo that it's easier to just give in when the werewolf has his mind set on something?" Snape's face turned red as Lukas snickered, and Lupin added, "And I seem to recall a certain someone enjoying being scratched behind the ears during the full moon last month..." Lukas turned red as well, and the three of them stood there glaring at each other until Lupin suddenly burst into laughter. Snape and Lukas scowled at him a moment longer, then they began laughing, too.

***

Life returned to normal as Snape resumed his classes on Tuesday; he was so glad to escape Snape Manor that he was almost happy to see even his Gryffindor students. In an attempt to ward off any more expressions of sympathy, he greeted all of his classes with a sharp, "Well, I hope you all enjoyed your little vacation, and I hope that you used some of the time to study, because you're about to be tested! Take out your quills and put away your books." There were a few groans, but no more so than usual, and a few students who had not attended the funeral still had enough nerve to cautiously approach him after class to offer their condolences, including both Mr. and Miss Zabini, Miss Patil, Miss Brown, and--somewhat to his surprise--Luna Lovegood. She solemnly told him that she was sorry about his father, with that ever-present dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, then added in an almost conversational tone, "But you'll see him again someday, I'm sure. The dead are never truly gone; I heard their voices behind the Veil, you know."

"Uh...right," Snape said. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood, you may go now." She obediently trotted off and Snape shook his head. He had long suspected that the girl was not playing with a full deck, so to speak, and had been reluctant to accept her into his Advanced Potions class even though she got a high grade on her O.W.L. Yet despite her dreamy manner, she managed to mix her potions adequately, and had never caused any Longbottom-style accidents in class. Most of his Slytherins snickered about "Loony Lovegood," but although Snape tried to summon up a sense of disdain, he felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled her casual remark about hearing voices being the Veil. Maybe she wasn't so crazy after all--or maybe she was crazy precisely because she had been touched by death as a child, having witnessed her mother's accidental death when she was nine. Sometimes such people could actually see into the world of the dead...

Snape shuddered for a moment, then laughed at himself. Yes, the girl believed that she could hear the dead, but she had also believed that the fugitive Sirius Black had really been Stubby Boardman, the lead singer of some music group called The Hobgoblins. What an idiot he was for getting all worked up over some silly girl's fantasies! It must be the stress of the funeral. Fortunately, Lovegood was a Ravenclaw, and therefore not his problem outside of Potions class, and Snape prepared for his next class, feeling much more cheerful.

***

On Saturday, Snape and his family went to Snape Manor for tea. Snape and his mother managed to be civil to each other, although their conversation was stilted and a little awkward. Selima seemed more at ease with Theodore, who listened attentively as Selima went over the rather complicated details of the Snape financial holdings.

Snape watched his mother, frowning thoughtfully. There was something different about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then Theodore smiled as she praised him for asking a particularly insightful question, and Snape realized what it was: her icy demeanor had thawed just a little, and she seemed to be treating Theodore as her real grandson and heir, and not just some barely adequate substitute. Perhaps it was because Lady Selima had finally accepted the inevitable; his mother was more practical and slightly less stubborn than his father, and had usually been willing to make the best of a bad situation once she realized that she couldn't change it. Or perhaps it was because Theodore was showing an interest in Selima's area of expertise, which had always bored Snape as a child, much to his mother's disapproval.

Snape felt a little odd watching Theodore smile at Selima and converse with her pleasantly. Part of him was grateful that she was treating Theodore well, and part of him was a little suspicious. He knew that Theodore wasn't used to being praised--he had never once heard Thaddeus utter a kind word to or about the boy--which was probably what was making him respond so favorably to Selima. Lupin looked pleased to see everyone getting along so well, but Snape felt a pang of sorrow and guilt: sorrow that Theodore's childhood had been so miserable that a few words of praise would make him so happy, and guilt that he had not done anything to help Theodore sooner. And then he worried about Theodore getting too close to Selima, because he was afraid that she might hurt him somehow, on purpose or even just accidentally, with a careless cutting word or cold look of disapproval if Theodore eventually did something that failed to fit her image of a "proper" heir.

Like taking a male lover, for example, although Snape had only Lupin's word for it that Theodore and Blaise were an item. He almost hoped that Lupin was wrong, because it was going to cause a great deal of trouble in the future when Selima found out. Snape hadn't cared before, when Theodore didn't care about Selima's opinion, but now...Snape swore that he would kill his mother if she did anything to hurt his son.

But everyone else seemed to be at ease; Lupin was still smiling, and Selima had sent only a couple of token, halfhearted insults his way. The conversation shifted away from the Snape finances when Dylan asked about Ali's flying carpet business.

Selima sighed and took a sip of her tea. "That's Ali's pet peeve; he just will not let it go, no matter how many times the Ministry turns him down. He has a number of other successful business ventures, and his carpet business does quite well in other countries that don't have a ban, but it's become a matter of pride with him. He considers the ban to be irrational, and he's resolved to make the Ministry revoke it. A good merchant knows when to quit."

"He says that the broomstick manufacturers are backing the ban because they're afraid of losing sales," Dylan said.

"Oh, please!" groaned Selima. "Don't get him started on his conspiracy theories!"

Dylan laughed. "But if flying carpets became legal, we could ride the one in the library!" He sighed wistfully. "That would be so much fun."

"Your father tried to take it on a joyride once, you know," Selima said with a small smile.

"Really?" Dylan said. "You never told us that, Professor!"

"It's difficult to keep track of all of Evan's escapades," Snape said dryly. "But yes, I do remember that one now."

"He and his mother came over for tea," Selima explained. "This was a couple of years before he and Severus entered Hogwarts. He'd heard about our carpet, and under the guise of going to the bathroom, snuck up to the library."

"Did you go along on this little joyride, Severus?" Lupin asked, his eyes twinkling.

"I wasn't stupid enough to get involved with Evan's pranks," Snape said, then recalled the Swelling Solution chocolates they had sent to James Potter in third year, and added, "well, not often, anyway."

"No, Evan did it on his own," Selima continued. "But he didn't know how to control the carpet, and fell off it and tumbled down the stairs; he was lucky he didn't break his neck. Severin had to chase the carpet around the mansion, and he was very annoyed. Elin scolded Evan, but at the same time kept fussing over him and asking him if he was all right, and took exception to Severin's comment that the boy deserved a good thrashing." The corners of her mouth twitched a little, then curved into a smile almost against her will. "He was a little terror; his parents spoiled him rotten...but he was a very charming boy. Every time he got into trouble, he would apologize most eloquently and contritely, flattering you shamelessly, and all the while there was this devilish little gleam in his eyes that said he would do it again as soon as your back was turned. I must admit that even I was charmed a little by him, but--" She gave Snape an ironic smile. "--believe it or not, I used to thank my lucky stars that my son was an obedient child, and not a rapscallion like Evan!"

Dylan, Theodore, and Lupin laughed, and after a moment, Selima joined in. It was the first time in a long time that Snape had heard her laugh without any sarcasm or bitterness, and as she indulgently told Dylan a few more stories about his father, he realized that he had forgotten how charming she could be when she wished to exert herself--probably because she never bothered to use her charm on him, only on the Ministry officials and important pureblood families who could help or hinder her efforts to advance the Snape family's position in society.

But there was little Dylan could do to aid in those efforts, at least right now, although he was the newly-confirmed Lord Rosier, as well as the heir to Mathias Donner's estate. Was his mother perhaps looking to the future, when Dylan might grow in power and influence or...could Lupin be right? Was his mother really making an effort to change and to accept his surrogate family?

"You're so quiet, Severus," Lupin said with a smile, leaning over to place a hand on his arm.

"I was thinking, Lupin," Snape replied, then to cover his discomfort, added in a snotty tone, "Although I realize that's something most Gryffindors are unfamiliar with..."

Lupin just laughed, and Snape tried to set aside his worries, at least for the moment. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, and they returned to Hogwarts, with Selima promising to come to Slytherin's Quidditch match against Gryffindor the following week.

"I'm quite looking forward to it, actually," Selima said with a pleasant smile, but there was a certain spark in her eyes, an odd combination of eagerness and calculation that immediately made Snape wary. It was the same look she always used to wear when she was about to make an important power play or engineer an especially devious bit of manipulation. Selima had always gone about doing her duty coldly and efficiently, or at least that was how it had seemed to Snape when he was a child, but he was struck by the sudden realization that she actually relished the politicking and social maneuvering. Her renewed enthusiasm--perhaps enhanced by the fact that she had been out of the game for so long--made her look more alive and beautiful than he had ever seen her, and he felt as if he were seeing her for the first time. He was surprised to find that he felt a little relieved to see that her spirits had lifted after making the shocking discovery that his mother had been crying in the study on the day of the funeral--in Lupin's presence, no less! But at the same time, neither did he want himself or Theodore to be drawn into her plotting and scheming.

"I hadn't realized that you were such a Quidditch fan, Mother," Snape said coolly.

"Well, I admit that I'm not much of a fan," Selima replied innocently, "but of course I want to see my grandson play."

Now Snape was really worried; Selima was a great many things, but "innocent" was not one of them. "Of course," Snape echoed dubiously.

"We'll see you next Saturday!" Lupin called out cheerfully as they left.

When they were back at school and alone in their quarters, Snape confided his concerns to Lupin.

"Hmm," Lupin said thoughtfully. "It's true that Theo is warming up to your mother a bit, but I think he's embracing his role as the Snape heir so enthusiastically because he wants to please you, Severus, not her. But I think it's a good thing that they seem to be getting along. It's the first step in becoming a real family."

"I don't want him getting too close to her, Remus. I don't want her to hurt him."

"I understand your concerns, Severus," Lupin said quietly, "and they're valid ones, but...are you sure that you aren't a little jealous? That Theodore might be growing close to Selima, or that Selima is treating Theodore more kindly than she did you?"

"Ouch," Snape said with a shaky laugh. "I usually only expect that kind of bluntness from Branwen." His former Professor rarely minced words and had a habit of telling people the unadulterated truth, which was usually what they least wanted to hear. Lupin smiled apologetically and stroked his arm in comforting manner, as if to soften his words. "I...I don't know, Lupin," he said after a long pause. "Maybe. You know that I'm not good at sharing the people I care about."

Lupin leaned against his chest, and Snape put his arms around him. "The wolf loves your possessiveness, Severus," he murmured. "But I do think it would be good for Theo and Selima to build a closer relationship."

Snape thought it over. "I don't know if I can forgive my mother, but that's between her and me. I can live with the past, even though I don't like it. And in a way, I can understand why she gets along with Theodore better than she did me. He was raised to be an obedient, compliant pureblood heir, and he's nowhere near as difficult or rebellious as I was." Snape grimaced, looking worried. "I overlooked him for so many years; he seemed as cold and hard as you would expect any future Death Eater to be. But underneath all that sullenness, he's the most vulnerable of all my Slytherins. He's so eager to please, so grateful for a little praise or affection...if my mother can treat Theodore well, and truly accept him as part of the family, I'll be grateful for it, and try to set aside my own grudges, but I'm afraid that she'll hurt him, sooner or later."

"I think that Selima is trying to accept him, Severus," Lupin said.

"I think so, too," Snape agreed, a little reluctantly, recalling the way Selima had praised Theodore for behaving like a "proper Snape heir" at the funeral. "But I'm afraid of what will happen if he disappoints her by failing to do his duty--as I did, by taking an inappropriate lover."

"Oh," Lupin said, comprehension dawning on his face.

"I know we laughed it off earlier, even gloated about how we'd outsmarted Lady Selima, but that was before..."

"Before they'd begun to see each other as family," Lupin finished. "When Selima was nothing more than an unpleasant stranger to Theo." Lupin sighed. "Well, I'm not sure what we can do, Severus, except to hope that, having lost her husband, Selima won't be so quick to cast away what little family she has left."

"My mother is not motivated by sentiment, Lupin."

"Your mother is not a monster, Severus," Lupin said, his eyes solemn and a little sad. "She's a woman who made some bad choices for what she believed were the right reasons at the time. And...I think your father's death has begun to change her a little."

"Maybe, but will that be enough?" Snape asked skeptically.

"Maybe not now," Lupin replied, "but over time...perhaps. Time enough for you and she and Theodore to truly become a family. And you are the head of the Snape family now, Severus; she cannot disown him, and she is a Snape, no longer a Bashir, and she will not just walk away from this family." In a very soft voice, Lupin added, "Because she has nowhere else to go."

"So many maybes, Lupin," Snape sighed wearily. "Even if she doesn't walk away, that doesn't mean that she won't do her best to make our lives miserable."

"We won't let her abuse him, Severus," Lupin said firmly. "Not even verbally. We'll make it clear that she'll lose her heir if she does; I would like to see you reconcile with your mother, but not at Theodore's expense. If she turns on him, then we will keep him away from Snape Manor, and we will smother him with love and reassure him that he hasn't done anything wrong. Besides, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Theo is only seventeen; it'll be a few more years before we'll have to explain why we won't let her arrange a marriage for him. Perhaps by that time she'll have grown attached enough to him that she won't be able to just write him off."

"Your Gryffindor optimism never ceases to amaze me," Snape said, still feeling skeptical.

Lupin kissed him. "We already have more than enough on our plate, Sev. Let's deal with the present today, and deal with the future as it comes." Snape thought that was a bit shortsighted, but not having any better ideas, reluctantly acquiesced and let Lupin lead him to the bed to comfort him in the usual manner.

***

Halloween fell on the following day, and the students made their usual trip to Hogsmeade. They were accompanied by Hagrid, McGonagall, and Flitwick; Snape and Lupin chose to stay back at the school this time, taking advantage of the opportunity to spend some uninterrupted time alone.

Hermione and Dylan went off to Madam Puddifoot's, somewhat to the disgruntlement of their respective Gryffindor and Slytherin friends. For a moment, Harry was tempted to ask Ginny if she'd like to go to Puddifoot's with him, but chickened out, remembering how disastrously his date with Cho there had gone in fifth year. It had been bad enough being compared to Roger Davies, and Harry figured he would only suffer even more in comparison to the smooth and charming Dylan Rosier. Besides, Ginny was no longer the little girl who had a crush on "famous" Harry Potter; what if she laughed in his face when he asked her on a date? Well, actually Ginny wasn't the type to do something that mean, but what if she took it as a joke, or worse, turned him down pityingly?

Feeling rather cowardly--why was asking a girl out harder than fighting the Death Eaters?--Harry said casually to Ron and Ginny, "How about grabbing a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks?"

"Sure," Ginny said.

"Sounds good," said Ron. "Then maybe we can stop by Honeydukes and Zonko's."

They ended up at a table next to Draco, Serafina, Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore, and Blaise. Harry noticed that there was a new waitress assisting Madam Rosmerta, a woman in her late thirties or early forties with limp, stringy hair that was not quite blonde and not quite brown, who looked familiar although Harry couldn't seem to place her name or face.

She stopped by Draco's table first, and asked cheerfully, "Well, what will you be having today?"

"Mrs. Avery?!" Draco exclaimed, his jaw dropping as he stared at her in shock.

"Hi, Mum," Serafina said calmly.

"Hello, dear," Delia Avery replied, still smiling. "It's nice to see you again, Draco--and you too, Vincent, Gregory, Theodore, and...Blaise, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Blaise said politely; the other boys were in too much shock to respond. "Are you working here now?"

"Yes," Delia replied, "I just started last week."

"How's the job going?" Serafina asked.

"Pretty well," her mother said. "Madam Rosmerta's been very kind. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I have to get back to work." The room was rapidly filling up with students. "Are you ready to order?"

Draco was still staring at Delia with his mouth hanging open, and Serafina poked him in the side. He blinked, then said weakly, "Ah...butterbeer all around?"

The others nodded, and Delia said cheerfully, "All right then, six butterbeers coming up!"

She stopped by the next table, and her eyes widened when she saw Harry. Smiling nervously, she asked, "And what would you like?"

"Um...three butterbeers," Harry said.

"Coming right up," Delia said, and went off to get their drinks.

"I can't believe there's a Death Eater working here!" Ron exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Ginny kicked him in the leg under the table and hissed, "Shhh! Serafina's sitting right at the next table!"

"Why is she working here?" Harry whispered. He knew that Delia Avery and Narcissa Malfoy had been pardoned because they'd turned against their fellow Death Eaters in the final battle, but seeing a former Death Eater working at one of his favorite hangouts made him a little uneasy.

Ginny shrugged, but at the next table, Draco was asking Serafina the same thing. "What is your mother doing here?!"

"Working," Serafina replied, in a tone that stated that should be obvious.

"But why?" Crabbe asked. "Did the Ministry take all your money?"

"My father wasn't as wealthy as he liked to pretend," Serafina explained, looking unperturbed. "The fines that the Ministry imposed drained most of the money from our Gringotts account. So Mum put the house up for sale, and the Headmaster helped her get this job. She's moved into an apartment here in town, too."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Draco demanded.

"It all just happened recently," Serafina said with a shrug, her voice and face as indifferent and emotionless as always. "She finally found a buyer for the house, so she had to move out right away, and the Headmaster found her an apartment here in Hogsmeade. Then he talked to Madam Rosmerta, and she said she could use some extra help since business has picked up a lot since the war ended."

"Does that mean you're poor now?" Goyle blurted out. "Like the Weasleys?" Ron glowered at him from the next table.

"I guess so," Serafina said, not looking at all upset about it. "Except that the Weasleys aren't poor anymore."

"Oh, right," Goyle said.

"It's terrible," Draco said, looking horrified, "that your mother should have to work in such a demeaning job!"

Serafina shrugged. "Mum doesn't have much work experience, and not many places will hire a former Death Eater, anyway. But Madam Rosmerta owed Dumbledore a favor, so she agreed to hire my mother. Besides, I don't think serving butterbeer is all that demeaning, and it's nice to have Mum close by so I can visit her on our Hogsmeade days." Draco still looked stunned and horrified, and Serafina smiled just a little. "You're such a snob, Draco."

Delia returned with a tray of mugs, and began passing them out. From a nearby table, Jack Sloper called out, "How about some service over here?"

"I'll be right there," Delia called back as the Slytherins frowned.

Jack was sharing a table with Andrew Kirke, Dean Thomas, Susan Bones, Stewart Ackerley, and Isabelle Laroque. "I don't want to be waited on by a Death Eater," Stewart said in a loud voice, and suddenly silence fell over the room. Isabelle frowned and whispered something into his ear, and across the room, McGonagall and Flitwick rose from their seats in the booth they were sharing; Flitwick looked anxious, and McGonagall angry.

Delia slowly turned around and said in an even voice, "Then you may go to the bar and ask Madam Rosmerta to serve you." Meanwhile, the Slytherins were glaring at Stewart, and the normally emotionless Serafina was looking especially murderous. Her hand drifted towards the pocket where she kept her wand, and Theodore leaned across the table to grab her wrist, whispering urgently to her, obviously trying to keep her from hexing Stewart.

Madam Rosmerta came out from behind the bar and walked over to Stewart's table. "If you don't care to be served by my staff, you can take your business elsewhere," she said in a cold voice.

"Fine!" Stewart snapped, then got up from his seat, deliberately bumping into Delia on his way out, and she dropped her tray, spilling the remaining mugs of butterbeer, which splashed all over the floor and her skirt.

McGonagall and Flitwick were marching over, and the Slytherins were jumping to their feet, but it was Harry who reached Stewart first. Before he knew what he was doing, he had jumped up and stepped in front of the Ravenclaw boy.

"Get out of the way, Potter," Stewart snarled.

Harry didn't know if he believed that Delia Avery had really reformed, but he did know that he despised bullies. "You should apologize to Mrs. Avery and pay for the spilled drinks," he said firmly.

"She should apologize to me for being so clumsy," Stewart sneered.

"You bumped into her on purpose!" Harry said hotly.

"I did not!" Stewart retorted. "And anyway, it's none of your business! You may be the savior of the wizarding world, but you have no right to boss me around! You're not a teacher or a prefect!"

"No, but I am," McGonagall said in a steely voice. "Apologize to Mrs. Avery at once, Ackerley!"

"I will not!"

"You're in enough trouble as it is, Mr. Ackerley," Flitwick said quietly. "I already intend to take ten points from Ravenclaw and give you detention. Don't make it any worse."

"You can expel me for all I care!" Stewart shouted. "But I will not apologize to one of the people who murdered my father!" He pushed his way past Harry and ran out of the inn.

"I'd better go after him," Flitwick said, still looking worried. "I think it would be best if I took him back to the school now, if that's all right with you, Minerva."

"Of course, Filius," McGonagall replied. "Go ahead; Hagrid and I can manage alone. I don't expect that there will be any more problems today." She swept the room with a stern, steely gaze to emphasize her point.

Flitwick hurried after Stewart, and after hesitating for a moment, Stewart's friends got up and left, too. Isabelle paused; her features looked drawn and tight, as if she were trying to keep herself under control, but Harry could see the anger smoldering in her eyes. It suddenly reminded him of the way he used fight to keep his temper under control when Snape was being particularly nasty. "I apologize for my friend," Isabelle said to Delia in a stiff voice, then left without waiting for a reply.

Harry knelt down to pick up the dropped mugs, and Ginny and Ron got up to help him. Theodore and Blaise came over as well, and cast a spell to clean up the spilled butterbeer. Meanwhile, Serafina and Draco were asking Delia if she was all right.

Delia said she was fine, but she looked pale and shaken. "I'm so sorry, Rosmerta," she said. "You've been so good to me, and then I cause all this trouble for you..."

"It's not your fault, dear," Rosmerta said firmly.

"It's that git Ackerley who should be apologizing!" Draco said indignantly.

"But you can't afford to lose customers because of me," Delia told Rosmerta. "I should have realized something like this would happen; that boy was right--no one will want to be waited on by a former Death Eater. I should quit before you lose more business--"

"No one tells me what I can or can't do," Rosmerta said firmly. "Or who I can or can't hire."

"But--" Delia protested.

"Oh, don't worry, Delia," Rosmerta said. "I won't go out of business. The only other place in town that people can go to for a drink is The Hog's Head." She sniffed disdainfully. "And I highly doubt that my customers will be able to stomach that swill they serve. I suppose if they don't mind watered-down tea, they could go to Madam Puddifoot's..." Delia smiled weakly, and the Slytherins laughed, although it sounded a little forced. "Why don't you go take a break and get cleaned up, Delia?"

Delia left with only a token protest, still looking a little shaken, and Madam Rosmerta returned with three mugs of butterbeer to replace the ones that had been spilled. Harry reached for his wallet, but Rosmerta shook her head. "It's on the house, dear," she said with a wink. She leaned forward--incidentally giving Ron and Harry a clear view of her ample bosom, which was nearly spilling out of her low-cut blouse--and whispered, "I liked the way you stood up for Delia."

Ron and Harry both turned scarlet, and Ginny gave them a disgusted look. "Um...I...I...just don't like bullies, that's all," Harry stammered.

"Nor do I," Rosmerta said with a smile, then went to serve some other customers.

Serafina came over and said gravely, "Thank you, Harry."

"It was nothing," Harry said, feeling rather uncomfortable, because he wasn't sure how he felt about Delia being pardoned. He had spent some time with Draco's mother over the summer, when she and Draco came to Grimmauld Place to visit Sirius, and he was now able to think of her as a person, not just a Death Eater. She was Sirius's cousin, and Blackmore was fond of her, and she was actually kind of nice when she dropped her snooty attitude. But he didn't know anything about Delia, although he had been told that, like Narcissa, she had turned against the Death Eaters when they threatened her child.

"It is something," Serafina insisted. "You stood up for my mother, and I won't forget that. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything, really," Harry protested.

"I won't forget," Serafina repeated, then returned to her own table. The other Slytherins at the table gave Harry thoughtful looks and slightly grudging nods of approval.

"You're all right, Potter," Goyle said in an almost friendly voice, and Theodore lifted his tankard silently in salute with a faint, slightly ironic smile.

"Sometimes you're not so bad for a Gryffindor," Draco drawled in that lazy, arrogant tone of voice he liked to use, although for once there seemed to be a hint of genuine respect beneath the sarcasm.

Part 37