FIC: Aftermaths, Part 41

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 41
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: ~7,430
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: Lupin organizes a Career Fair at Hogwarts.

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, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40

***

"It's an excellent idea, Remus!" Dumbledore said when Lupin brought up the idea of a Career Fair. Most of the other teachers agreed, and made suggestions of their own as to which businesses to invite. Snape just shrugged and said, a little skeptically, "Well, I suppose it can't hurt."

"I still can't picture Dietrich as a mediwizard or Healer," Snape told Lupin when they were alone in their quarters together. "He doesn't exactly have what you'd call a comforting bedside manner."

Lupin chuckled. "He's young; he has time to learn. Besides, believe it or not, there are some people who take exception to your teaching methods, yet they seem to have been effective."

"Don't presume to compare that child to me," Snape said, sounding a little insulted. "He may be arrogant and annoying, but no one is terrified of him the way the students are of me." He looked rather proud of that statement, and Lupin chuckled again. "Or at least they were, until you ruined my reputation," Snape added in a disgruntled tone.

Lupin just grinned at him. "A Healer can't be all sweetness and light, though, come to think of it. I think at times they have to be a bit of a bully; I've seen Madam Pomfrey order a reluctant patient to drink a dreadful-tasting potion or submit to a particularly painful healing spell."

"Which reminds me," Snape said sternly, "it's time for you to take your potion."

"Yes, Severus," Lupin said meekly, although his eyes were still laughing.

He started to rise from his seat on the couch, but Snape said gruffly, "Stay. I'll get it." So Lupin sat while Snape got up and headed over to the fireplace, where he had a cauldron already simmering. Snape ladled out the smoking potion into the ugly brass goblet he had bought at the Zabinis' junk shop, then handed it solemnly to Lupin, who smiled. The handing and accepting of the goblet of potion had become something of a ritual with them, ever since Lupin had returned to Hogwarts four years ago.

Lupin drank down the potion quickly, and as awful as it tasted, he savored it, not just because it helped him keep his sanity during the full moon, but because its very existence was a sign of Severus's love for him, because the Potions Master had created it for his sake, with the help of the Japanese wizard Naoto Kamiyama. So instead of grimacing as he normally did, Lupin smiled as if he were drinking down the finest vintage in the Snapes' wine cellar.

Snape gave him a puzzled look. "Does the potion taste different this month, Remus?" he asked, sounding a little worried.

"Why don't you see for yourself, Severus?" Lupin whispered in a husky voice, leaning in close with his lips parted. Snape covered Lupin's mouth with his, leisurely sweeping his tongue through Lupin's mouth, running it along Lupin's teeth and tongue and the roof of his mouth.

After a very lengthy exploration that left Lupin breathless, Snape pulled back and said with an air of professional satisfaction, "No, it seems to taste as awful as it always does."

"Then I suppose you don't want to kiss me anymore," Lupin said, giving him a well-practiced mournful look.

"I didn't say that," Snape purred, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist, pulled him close, and kissed him hard. Lupin moaned into Snape's mouth, their tongues entwining together; the bitterness of aconite had never tasted so sweet.

With their bodies pressed so close together, it was impossible for Lupin to hide his rapidly growing arousal, and Snape broke off the kiss to grin at his lover. "Ah, that's right, the full moon is almost upon us."

"I don't need the full moon as an excuse to desire you, my love," Lupin whispered into Snape's ear, gently nipping at the lobe; the Potions Master gasped softly. "I enjoy making love with you any day of the month." He paused, his mouth moving lower to nip gently at Snape's neck, but Snape's high-collared robe was getting in the way, so Lupin deftly unfastened it, and the shirt beneath it, and pushed them aside. "Or night." Another nip, teeth gently pressing into soft skin. "Or morning." Another nip, harder this time, enough to leave a dark bruise on white flesh; Snape gasped again, a little more loudly. "Or afternoon. Or--"

"Enough, Lupin!" Snape growled, although a small part of him was curious to know how many different segments Lupin could carve a single day into. But not all that curious--not with an amorous werewolf nibbling on his ear and neck. "Lupin," he said impatiently, "have I ever told you that you talk too much?"

"Many times," Lupin said, then playfully leered at the Potions Master. "So why don't you give my mouth something else to occupy itself with?"

That leer, Snape would later claim, was the reason why they never made it to the bedroom that night. The normally obstinate Slytherin obeyed Lupin with commendable promptness, pushing the werewolf down on the couch, covering Lupin's body and mouth with his own. Snape's tongue teasingly darted in and out of Lupin's mouth, and the werewolf let out a muffled groan, his body arching up off the couch to grind his hips against Snape's. Snape responded in kind, their bodies writhing together--a little too enthusiastically, because they fell off the couch onto the floor, and Snape let out a yelp of pain and a sharp curse as his hip struck the edge of the coffee table and knocked it over. Fortunately, there was no chess set on it tonight, only Lupin's empty goblet. Snape shoved the table out of the way, and they ended up on the rug in front of the fireplace, where the cauldron of Wolfsbane Potion was still simmering. The unpleasant odor permeated the room, but Snape was too caught up in the moment to notice. Lupin, with his keen wolf senses, was well aware of it, but didn't mind, because that scent reminded him of his mate's devotion, and it only served to sharpen his desire and at the same time fill him with tenderness. Lupin laughed a little; this was probably the first time that aconite had functioned as an aphrodisiac for a werewolf!

That feeling of tenderness kept their lovemaking from being as rushed and frenzied as it normally was this close to the full moon. They struggled out of their clothes quickly, but once they were undressed, Lupin wanted to take his time and drink in the sight of the firelight playing against his lover's pale skin. He wanted to kiss and caress every inch of his lover's body, and set about doing so in a methodical yet unhurried manner. He nuzzled Severus's smooth, thick black hair, and kissed his forehead, the tip of his nose, and his mouth. He delicately ran his tongue along the curve of each ear as his hands traced the sharp lines of Severus's collarbone, then slowly ran down the planes of his chest. Severus's breathing grew louder, and more ragged. Lupin planted a gentle kiss in the hollow of his lover's throat, ran his hands down Severus's arms, then lifted fingertips to his mouth to be kissed.

Lupin kissed his way down Snape's chest and stomach, then lightly pressed his lips against the bruise forming on Snape's hip where he had struck the coffee table. As Lupin trailed his fingers up the inside of lover's thigh, Snape said, "Remus," in a low, urgent voice. There was a plea in his black eyes, but he did not voice it aloud. It had become a little game with them, for Snape to tease Lupin until he begged for release, a sweet torment in which Lupin was a willing participant. Snape, however, hated begging for anything, even in fun, and rarely said the word "please" in anything other than sarcasm--an understandable reaction, Lupin felt, for a former Death Eater who had spent more years than Lupin liked to think about kneeling in subservience at the Dark Lord's feet, not to mention the years spent growing up in Snape Manor without love or affection, only cold attention to duty with the occasional Cruciatus Curse thrown in as punishment for childish misbehavior.

Lupin liked to tease the Potions Master a little at times, but never to the point where he had to beg. Aside from not wanting to stir up painful memories, Lupin never wanted Severus--who, for so many years, had refused to believe that anyone could love him--to have to plead for love or pleasure. He wanted to give it freely and unstintingly, until maybe one day in the future, Severus would not regard it as a miracle that someone actually loved and desired him.

In spite of that, Lupin treasured the look of awe that filled his lover's eyes when he said, "I love you, Severus."

"I love you, too, Remus," Snape whispered, reaching up to caress Lupin's cheek gently and reverently, as if touching something incredibly fragile and precious.

{Precious, I hope,} Lupin thought with a touch of amusement mingled with tenderness, {but definitely not fragile!} He reached into the pile of their discarded clothing for his wand, and summoned a small jar into his hand. He unscrewed the lid and a sweet scent wafted out, slightly offsetting the bitter and acrid smell of the Wolfsbane Potion. It was actually a bit too sweet and cloying for the wolf's taste, but Lupin had come to associate the scent with their lovemaking, and he smiled dreamily and said, "I love the smell of lavender."

Snape grinned and dipped a finger in the jar, then reached up and ran it across Lupin's cheek, down his neck, lingering briefly at his throat, then down the center of his chest, along the breastbone, leaving a sweet, oily trail along Lupin's skin; the werewolf shivered with pleasure. Snape chuckled, in that low, wicked voice of his, and said, "I had a hard time keeping a straight face in my Advanced Potions class the other day; I've been teaching the students to distill lavender oil themselves instead of just using the ready-made supply in the Potions stores. And you must be right about Theodore and Zabini; I think I saw Blaise blush."

"You Slytherins blush so easily for such a cynical lot," Lupin laughed. Snape reached for the jar, and Lupin growled, "Let me." He dipped his hand in the oil and stroked Severus, who was already half-hard, to full erectness. Snape growled loudly, thrilling Lupin's inner wolf, and abruptly pushed Lupin down onto his back. Lupin tilted his head back and whined as he felt teeth gently close on the skin of his throat a moment later; unlike Severus, he found joy in submission--so long as it was to his beloved mate, of course. Snape reached for the jar again, and this time Lupin didn't stop him. He moaned loudly as he felt slick fingers sliding inside him, probing and stretching. "Please," Lupin gasped, and for once, it seemed that Severus was disinclined to make him beg. The fingers slipped out of him, and then he felt Severus pushing into him. He moaned again, lifting his hips and wrapping his legs around Severus's waist, pulling him in deeper. Their bodies rocked together slowly; Severus seemed to pick up on Lupin's tender mood without any need for words between them. His black eyes remained locked on Lupin's, and were filled with such love and intensity that Lupin's own eyes filled with tears. "Severus," Lupin whispered.

"Remy," Snape whispered back, and Lupin's heart filled with joy at the love and trust implicit in his use of Lupin's childhood nickname. "Remy, you're so beautiful."

"So are you, Severus," Lupin said with absolute sincerity. He remembered how, as a teenager, Severus had reacted angrily and defensively to those very same words, not believing that anyone could possibly find him beautiful. This time, Severus just smiled, with that look of awe and wonder in his eyes. He might find it hard to believe, and he might consider it a miracle, but at least he finally did believe that Lupin loved him and thought him beautiful.

Their bodies continued to move together, their desire slowly and steadily building, like a wave gradually growing from a mere ripple to a great wall of water as it moved towards the shore. With each thrust, Severus struck a little harder, a little deeper inside Lupin, sending ever-increasing surges of pleasure through his body until it was too much to bear...the wave crested, peaked, and crashed upon the shore...

Lupin felt his mate come with him, and the wolf howled with joy. Afterwards, Snape grinned as he gently brushed sweat-soaked strands of hair back from Lupin's face. "I can't believe how sexy it is to hear you howl," he said.

Lupin snuggled closer to his mate, laying his head on Snape's chest and nuzzling him affectionately. "When I was a boy, I never dreamed that there might be advantages to being a werewolf," he chuckled. "I never dreamed that I would actually be happy to be a werewolf one day."

Snape placed one hand under Lupin's chin and tipped his face up so that their eyes met. "Never wish to be other than what you are, Remus," he said, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Never doubt that I love you as you are, both man and wolf."

Lupin's eyes filled with tears again; his cranky, snarky Slytherin lover never ceased to touch and amaze him with statements like these, which seemed to appear out of the blue without any warning. He spoke with difficulty, as his throat seemed to constrict with emotion. "Once I wished to change what I am, but no longer. Even if a cure for lycanthropy became available, I don't think I would take it. The wolf is a part of me now, and I would not be whole if it were gone."

"Good," Snape said, kissing him. "Because I would miss the wolf." And then that snarky, sarcastic tone that Lupin had grown to love was back. "Even if you do shed fur and drool on my good robes."

Lupin laughed. "And I would miss being scratched behind the ears!"

They lay in each other's arms silently for a few minutes, then Snape asked, "Would you like to move to the bedroom?"

Lupin felt drowsy and content in his lover's embrace, and the heat from the fire warming his bare skin felt good. "Not really," he said. He didn't really feel like moving at the moment, and the wolf didn't mind sleeping on the floor. In fact, it found the rug on the hearth quite comfortable.

"I'm going to regret this in the morning," Snape sighed, but remained on the floor, wrapping his arms a little more tightly around Lupin, who growled happily.

***

Lukas returned to Hogwarts the day after the full moon, and was surprised but gratified when his students enthusiastically welcomed him back. The boys in particular seemed happy, almost relieved to see him, and he wondered exactly what Kyra had been doing in his absence. When he asked her about it later, she just grinned and winked at him. Even more surprising, Lukas realized that he was happy to be back; despite his initial reservations, he had come to like his job, and had grown fond of his students. They were sometimes unruly and self-centered, but that was true of all cubs, wolf or human, and they were mostly goodhearted.

So he was feeling uncharacteristically cheerful as he chatted with Lupin and the other teachers one evening at dinner, when suddenly a great horned owl flew into the hall. It dropped a letter in front of Lukas, then landed on the table in front of Lupin and Snape, dropping a second envelope into Snape's hand.

"I'm really beginning to hate the sight of that bird," Snape groaned as he opened the letter.

"Shh, Severus," Lupin scolded. "You'll hurt his feelings."

Socrates didn't look the least bit hurt, though. In fact, he looked positively content as Lupin petted him and fed him scraps of meat from his plate. The Snape family owl had learned that if he lingered after delivering a letter, Lupin would always reward him with a caress and a tidbit--in spite of Selima's complaints that he was "spoiling that bird".

"It's nothing personal, Lupin," Snape grumbled. "It's just that whenever Socrates shows up, it's usually because he's bearing a summons from my mother. We have been invited to tea at Snape Manor this weekend. And by the way, despite the way it's worded, that's an order, not a request."

"I've been invited to tea, too," Lukas said, frowning at his own letter.

"Really?" Snape asked, looking startled.

"Really," Lukas replied. "She doesn't actually come right out and say so, but I believe that Lady Selima wants to discuss the matter of the Diggory inheritance with me." He sighed heavily, then said in a sarcastic voice, "A tea party at a pureblood mansion is not exactly my idea of a good time."

"It's not really a party," Lupin said gently, still petting Socrates. "It'll just be you, me, Severus, and the boys. There won't be anyone there who will sneer at you."

"If I have to go, then you're coming as well, Bleddri," Snape said in the no-nonsense tone of voice that he used with his students.

Lukas bristled at being spoken to in that manner. "Why do I have to come?" he asked in a surly voice. "Lady Selima isn't MY mother."

"No, but however I might wish it were otherwise, she is MY mother, and she'll never let me hear the end of it if I show up there without you," Snape replied, a sour look on his face. "She's a worse nag than Lupin."

Lupin laughed, and Lukas couldn't help but smile a little. He almost felt sorry for the Potions Master, being bullied by both his lover and his mother.

"You said you weren't going to hide from the past anymore, Lukas," Lupin reminded him. "If you're going to re-enter pureblood society, consider this a good first step. You'll be among friends, and even if Lady Selima can be overbearing at times--"

"Only 'at times'?" Snape muttered under his breath.

"--she is your ally," Lupin finished.

"Very well," Lukas reluctantly conceded. "I suppose you're right."

***

But Lupin was wrong in assuming that they would be the only guests at Snape Manor: it turned out that there was one outsider there, except that she wasn't really a stranger.

"Morrigan!" Snape exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Morrigan smiled at them in her cool, professional manner. "Hello, Severus. I am here at your mother's request."

Lukas gave her a suspicious look, and Selima smiled and said pleasantly, "Cyril, this is Morrigan De Lacy. She is a lawyer at one of the most prestigious firms in the wizarding world. Ms. De Lacy, this is--"

"Lukas Bleddri," Lukas said before Selima could introduce him as Cyril Diggory. "And why have you invited a lawyer to tea, Lady Selima?" he asked in a cold voice.

"To help you get your inheritance back, of course," Selima replied.

As Lukas's face turned red with anger, Morrigan smoothly added, "Lady Selima has paid me an initial retainer to discuss the matter of your inheritance with you. I am here only to go over your legal options with you. It will of course be your decision as to whether or not you wish to pursue them, and also your decision as to whether or not you wish to keep me on as your lawyer."

"But you might have some difficulty finding another lawyer willing to take on your case," Selima interjected. "Most of them are purebloods, and might balk at helping a werewolf claim a pureblood estate."

Lukas glared at her and said, "This is none of your concern. Stop meddling in my life."

"It is my concern, Cyril," Selima said calmly. "Your mother would want you to be provided for--"

"I appreciate your loyalty to my mother, Lady Selima," Lukas said through gritted teeth, "but I am an adult now, and I can take care of myself."

"You told us yourself that you left the pureblood world at the age of fifteen, Cyril," Selima retorted. "Yes, you can look after yourself, but do you know how to go about hiring a lawyer? Do you know how to find one who is both skilled and trustworthy? I am merely saving you time by introducing you to Ms. De Lacy."

"She's a very good lawyer, Lukas," Lupin murmured. "She's the one I told you about, who had the Rosier and Nott estates restored to Dylan and Theo."

"Surely it couldn't hurt just to listen to what she has to say, Master Bleddri," Dylan ventured timidly. "You could always say 'no' afterwards."

"Somehow I doubt it will be that simple," Lukas sighed, seeing the look of implacable stubbornness that lay beneath the outward veneer of civility on Selima's face. But he sat down and accepted a cup of tea from Vorcher, who had emerged to serve the guests.

"A very interesting case," Morrigan said, her eyes lighting up with an eager little gleam. "Technically, you have the law on your side, Master Bleddri. Your father was the eldest son of the Diggory clan, so by the laws of the wizarding world, the title should go to you. Of course, in the past your lycanthropy would have caused you to be passed over as heir, but the equal rights bill declares that werewolves are equal to humans under the law. But no one has really tried to challenge it yet; there was some grumbling when you were hired to teach at Hogwarts, but no one had the nerve to oppose Albus Dumbledore when he had just helped save the world from Voldemort. This will be the first true test of whether the equal rights bill can be upheld, or if it is nothing more than high-minded words on a piece of paper. You can be sure that not just the Diggorys, but most of the pureblood community, will fight you tooth and nail on this."

"I know," Lukas said.

"One one hand," Morrigan continued, "you are the rightful heir. On the other, you are a werewolf, and have been absent from the pureblood world for over two decades. Amos Diggory is a well-respected Ministry official, and has outwardly been a good caretaker of the Diggory estate. And his son's death at the hands of Voldemort has earned him a great deal of sympathy among his peers." Morrigan paused to take a sip of tea. "It would help if we could discredit him somehow. Have you any proof that he was involved in your father's accident or the subsequent plot to fake your death?"

"No," Lukas said, shaking his head. "As I already told Lady Selima, it would be my word against his. And we all know how much a werewolf's word counts with the pureblood elite..."

"But Mr. Diggory admitted right in front of everyone that he helped fake Master Bleddri's death!" Theodore said excitedly. "We all heard him! There must have been at least a dozen witnesses!"

"The Snape family will be regarded as biased, considering Severus's friendship with Master Bleddri, and Lady Selima's friendship with his parents," Morrigan said. "Were there any other witnesses who could be called upon to testify?"

Snape thought about it. "My other Slytherin players were there: Baddock, Doherty, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Bulstrode. And the teachers: Dumbledore, Hooch, Sprout, Satoshi, Hagrid, Trelawney...though I doubt that the latter two would make very impressive witnesses..."

"There were also the Gryffindor students," Lupin reminded him. "Ron and Ginny Weasley, Harry--"

"Yes," Morrigan said with great satisfaction. "No one will doubt the word of the Boy Who Lived, the Savior of the Wizarding World. Do you think he will agree to testify?"

"Yes," Lupin replied in a firm voice. "Harry will do what is right. He'll tell the truth about what he heard."

"Yes, he's quite truthful," Snape muttered sarcastically. "So long as he's not trying to cover up some mischief he's getting into, like sneaking around the school after hours--"

Lupin kicked him in the shin. "Knock it off, Severus," he scolded. "You know Harry wouldn't lie about something this important."

Snape scowled and bent down to rub at his leg. "Yes, yes," he grumbled, "I am sure that Potter will consider it his duty to testify on Bleddri's behalf--Gryffindor nobility and all that."

"Excellent," Morrigan said with a satisfied smile. "We have Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore on our side, and a number of objective witnesses in addition to Remus and the Snapes. Now, Amos will try to prove that you are not fit to hold the title. Is there anything from your past that I should know about, that might be used against you?"

Lukas scowled at her. "I am a werewolf, Ms. De Lacy," he said in a bitter voice. "For many years, it was almost impossible for us to find legitimate work. So if you are asking, was I involved in anything illegal, the answer is: of course I was. At times I was a thief. At others, I sold contraband items on the black market."

"Were you ever caught and convicted?" Morrigan asked.

Lukas shook his head. "No, but I am sure Amos will find a way to dig up my unsavory past."

"You are a hero of the war," Morrigan said dismissively. "If a repentant Death Eater can be forgiven his or her crimes--excuse me, Severus--then a little thievery and smuggling are nothing in comparison. Have you ever committed any more serious crimes? Have you ever killed anyone? Outside of the final battle, of course." Lukas hesitated. "You are my client, Master Bleddri, and I must keep whatever information you give me confidential; you need not worry on that account."

"You can trust her," Snape said. Lukas's eyes flickered over to Selima and the boys. "And the rest of us."

"I'm not an idiot, Cyril," Selima told him. "With the kind of life you've led, it would be a miracle if you hadn't killed someone. I will not betray my best friend's son."

"I have killed," Lukas said quietly, "but only in self-defense, or to protect one of my pack members. They were not people of importance in the pureblood world, and I don't think any of them can be traced back to me."

"Did you kill them as a man or a wolf?" Morrigan asked calmly.

"A man," Lukas snarled, his temper rising at the lawyer's intrusive questions.

"Have you ever bitten and infected anyone?" Morrigan continued, looking unperturbed.

"No!"

"Would you be willing to swear it under Truth Potion?"

"If I must," Lukas growled. "Although considering the current line of questioning, I am less and less inclined to take this case to court."

"I am sorry," Morrigan said sympathetically, "but these are the kinds of questions that Amos's lawyer will ask."

"I know," Lukas sighed.

"You can't just give up, Cyril!" Selima insisted. "If you are strong enough to take on the Death Eaters, you are strong enough to stand up to Amos in court!"

"It's my decision, not yours!" Lukas snapped.

"Perhaps we can reach an out-of-court settlement," Morrigan said, "although it will be difficult, given your uncle's hostility towards you. But Lady Selima says that your aunt is willing to support your claim."

"Yes, but Gwendolyn isn't the head of the Diggory family," Lukas replied. "And I'm hesitant to take the inheritance from her son, Tristan. Whatever his uncle may have done, he is only a child and has done nothing to wrong me."

"Tell me, Master Bleddri," Morrigan said thoughtfully, "do you have a wife?"

"No," Lukas said, looking startled by the question.

"Or a lover?" Morrigan persisted.

Lukas's face turned a little red. "And why is this any of your business?"

"I want to know if you have any children, or intend to in the future," Morrigan replied.

"Of course not!" Lukas snapped. "Do you think, after everything I've been through, that I would risk inflicting my curse on a child?"

"Then that might solve our problem," Morrigan said with a smile. "Even if you become head of the Diggory family, you will need an heir. And since you have no children of your own, nor plan to, we could make the offer to the Diggory family that if they will let you assume the title, you will appoint Tristan as your heir. It would spare Amos embarrassment in court and avoid a nasty family feud with his sister, and the estate would eventually return to his chosen heir in time. And it might pacify the pureblood elite, since your werewolf blood will not actually be mingling with theirs. And you need not feel that you are stealing the title from your young cousin."

Snape blinked in surprise. "Hmm...that's actually a very good solution. A fair compromise...but Amos Diggory is a stubborn man. I'm not sure he'll take the offer, even though he should."

"We can at least make the offer," Morrigan said. "If he won't take it, we can still fight him in court. What do you think, Master Bleddri?"

"I'll...have to think it over," Lukas said slowly, overwhelmed by the realization that there was actually a good chance that he could win back the inheritance he thought he had given up forever. He had thought that he didn't want it, but felt a small spark of anticipation, and a sudden rush of nostalgia and longing. To take up the Diggory name and title again...it would bring him closer to the memory of his parents. Yet at the same time, the thought of it terrified him. "I promised Tristan that I would talk it over with him and his parents before I made a final decision."

"Very well," Morrigan said, handing him a business card. "You can reach me at this address when you have made up your mind. Now, you also have a claim to the Gravenor estate--do wish to pursue that as well? You are the grandson of the late Gravenor Lord, and in direct line to inherit the title. However, the current Lord, your cousin, who is the son of the late Lord's younger brother, will likely argue that your mother married out of the Gravenor family, and that the title should bypass her and go to the next closest male relative--"

"No," Lukas interrupted. "Fighting for one estate will be hard enough--if I decide to do it, that is. I don't think I have the energy to fight for two. I was never heir to the Gravenor estate, and I have unpleasant memories of my time there, when my mother and I were exiled to that little hovel where she eventually died. I never want to see it again."

Morrigan nodded. "Well, to be honest, the estate is not worth much these days. The Gravenor fortune declined dramatically after Anwir was exposed as a Death Eater. Still, the lands are worth something...but it's your decision." She rose to her feet. "Thank you for the tea, Lady Selima. Please contact me with your decision, Master Bleddri."

"Wait," Lukas said. "You're a pureblood too, aren't you? Why are you helping me? Does the thought of a werewolf becoming head of a pureblood family not bother you in the slightest?"

Morrigan smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "No, not really," she said cheerfully. "The purebloods have become old and stogy, and need to be shaken up a bit. Besides, this case will likely be one of the most challenging of my career--and I do love a challenge. If I can pull it off, if I can actually win back your title and get a werewolf appointed head of the Diggory family, my colleagues will despise me--but they'll respect and envy me as well. I'll be able to pick and choose my clients, and will likely be made full partner in my firm, and no one will ever doubt my abilities again just because I am female. And I'll be able to double my fee."

She looked as satisfied and smug as a cat with a bowl of cream, and Snape said in an amused voice, "You haven't won the case yet, Morrigan."

"Oh, but I will, Severus," she told him confidently.

Lukas was actually relieved to see that the lawyer had ulterior motives. Altruism made him nervous, and she would fight harder if there was something in it for her. But there was one problem... "I don't know how much your normal fee is, Ms. De Lacy, and while my salary at Hogwarts is generous, I have only recently been employed..."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," Morrigan assured him nonchalantly. "Lady Selima has offered to pay my fee."

"If that's all right with Lord Snape, of course," Selima added, with just a touch of sarcasm. Too dumbfounded to speak, Snape just nodded.

"I don't need anyone's charity--" Lukas snarled defensively.

Selima just gave him a cool look. "If it offends your pride, you may pay me back after you win back your estate, Cyril."

"Stop calling me 'Cyril'!"

"You had better get used to it if you intend to fight for the title," Selima told him.

Lukas sighed, and Morrigan smiled and said, "Well then, I'll be on my way. It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Bleddri." She nodded politely at the rest of them and left.

Selima looked Lukas over with a critical eye. "You can't show up in court like that, you know," she told him, frowning at his scuffed leather trenchcoat and the faded, shabby shirt and trousers he wore beneath it. "We'll have to get you some decent clothes--"

"First of all," Lukas snarled, baring his teeth at her, "I haven't decided that I want to fight for the title. And even if I do, it might not go to court if your friend Ms. De Lacy can work out a compromise."

"--and work on your manners," Selima continued without changing her tone of voice. She calmly lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of tea.

Lukas growled deep in his throat, until he realized that he was only proving her point. He started to slouch in his seat, then forced himself to sit up straight and fixed a look of cold arrogance on his face, attempting to look like a "proper" pureblood, if only to prove to Selima that he could if he wanted to.

"That's better," Selima said approvingly, and Lukas fought back another growl. His fingers tightened around the delicate porcelain tea cup in his hands, and he forced them to relax so that he didn't break it.

Lupin must have noticed, because he quickly changed the subject to something more innocuous, and Selima listened with a look of mild interest as Lupin explained his idea to hold a Career Fair. "So do you think perhaps your cousin Ali might be willing to help us?"

"He might," Selima replied. "Certainly he's the only one in my family who would be willing to do a favor for a werewolf." Her expression turned a little sour. "He'd probably think it a great lark. And he could always use an adventurous young apprentice willing to travel to foreign countries. My brother's son was working for him, but Ali said that the boy was flighty and undependable, and sent him back home." There was a certain spiteful satisfaction in her voice.

"Er...so you'll ask him?" Lupin said.

"No, I'll give you his address, and you can ask him yourself," Selima said. "Considering your friendship with Arthur Weasley, I'm sure he'll be delighted to help you, but don't be surprised if he asks you to arrange an audience with the Minister of Magic in return."

Lupin sighed. "Arthur won't like that, but I think he'll do it if I ask him to."

Selima smiled a little. "Don't tell Ali I said so, but he'd probably still come to your Career Fair even if the Minister refused to see him. He's always been a bit of a rebel, and he enjoys stirring things up and annoying the clan elders." Her voice took on a sarcastic bite, but there was still a hint of ironic amusement in her eyes. "He finds your relationship with Severus wonderfully scandalous. However, it goes against a merchant's instincts to do a favor for someone without getting something in return."

Lupin grinned. "Thank you for the advice, Lady Selima. But he will be getting something in return: access to the children of the pureblood elite, who will go home and tell their parents how wonderful it would be to have a flying carpet. And even if their parents do not heed their words, in a few years some of them will be working at the Ministry themselves, and might well work to lift the ban on flying carpets."

Selima gave him a look of grudging respect. "You would have made a good merchant, Professor Lupin."

"That's high praise coming from you, I'm sure," Lupin laughed, and Snape gave his mother and lover a bemused look. Lukas was a little surprised himself to see how well Lupin and Lady Selima got along. Although she treated him in a condescending manner, it did not seem entirely genuine--not unlike the way Snape constantly sniped at Lupin despite the fact that there was no need for it, since everyone in the school knew that they were lovers. Lady Selima's insults did not have the same affection behind them as Snape's, of course, but there was an odd sense of...well...tolerance, Lukas supposed. He wondered if her acceptance of Lupin had made it easier for her to support his own claim to the Diggory title despite his lycanthropy, or if it was the other way around--perhaps the fact that her dearest friend's son had turned out to be a werewolf had made her regard her son's lover with a little more sympathy. Lukas repressed a sigh and drank his tea, wishing that it were something stronger.

They talked only of inconsequential matters for the rest of the afternoon, such as the Career Fair and how the boys had done on their mid-terms. Dylan, of course, had gotten perfect or near-perfect scores on all of his, and Theodore had also done well, if not as spectacularly as his foster brother. In particular, his grades in Herbology, which had only been fair up until now, had increased dramatically.

"Draco was a little put out that Theo got a higher grade than him," Dylan snickered.

Theodore smiled warmly at Lupin. "I was never much good at Herbology before, but I think that all the time we spent working in your garden during the summer really helped, Remus."

"I'm glad, Theo," Lupin said, giving his cub a tender smile. "I'm very proud of you."

Theodore beamed happily at him, and Selima frowned a little, but said nothing. Probably she disapproved of learning that her grandson had spent his summer gardening; the pureblood elite tended to disdain anything that smacked of physical labor.

"A proficiency in Herbology will stand him in good stead, Mother," Snape said a little reproachfully, "and complement his Potions studies."

"I never said otherwise, Severus," Selima responded in a cool voice. Theodore stared at the two of them uneasily, then looked relieved when Selima said, "I am pleased that you did well on your exams, Theodore."

Snape relaxed and Theodore said politely, "Thank you, Grandmother."

Lupin shifted the topic of conversation again, to Quidditch, although the fateful Gryffindor-Slytherin match was something that Lukas would rather forget.

"I was never much of a Quidditch fan," Selima said, "but I must admit, that match was very exciting."

"You can say that again!" Dylan said with a rueful smile.

"Even before your little...mishap," Selima clarified. "You both played well." Theodore and Dylan grinned proudly at each other. "It's a pity Gryffindor won."

"They wouldn't have won if they hadn't cheated!" Theodore said indignantly.

"Yes," Selima said almost admiringly. "Who would have thought they had it in them?"

The boys looked startled, then laughed. "Well, maybe we'd have done the same thing if we were in their shoes," Theodore conceded. "Before the war ended, anyway."

"There's no way the Gryffindors would have risked losing the game to help me when the war was still going on," Dylan agreed. "For that matter, there's no way Draco would have given up chasing the Snitch to save me!"

"I think you're wrong, Dylan," Lupin objected. "I think Harry and Ginny, at least, would not have acted any differently. Although I admit I'm not so sure about the others."

"That reminds me," Snape said, "we still need to buy Dylan a new broom. Perhaps we can stop by Diagon Alley before returning to the school today."

"Really?" Dylan asked eagerly. Although he had been upset about the loss of his Cleansweep, he seemed excited about the prospect of getting a new broom.

Lupin and Snape smiled indulgently at him. "Of course, Mr. Rosier," Snape replied. "You cannot play without a broom, and you can't miss too many more practice sessions if Slytherin is to win their next match. I still intend to win my bet with Professor McGonagall, that Slytherin will win the Quidditch Cup this year."

"Yes, sir!" Dylan said, grinning widely. Lupin smiled and ruffled the boy's hair fondly, and Snape patted him on the shoulder in a brusque yet affectionate manner. Lukas felt a sudden wistful pang at the thought that he would never have any cubs of his own, although he had never wanted children before. All this talk of family, and the memories of his parents, had put him in a pensive mood, he supposed. He tried to shake off his melancholy, telling himself firmly that he had his students and his pack, and that was more than enough for him.

Dylan was clearly eager to go broom-shopping, and Lukas welcomed the chance to escape Lady Selima's presence. He set down his cup and rose to his feet, saying, "Thank you for the tea, Lady Selima." He allowed a hint of sarcasm to creep into his voice as he said, "Our discussion today has been most...interesting...but I need to return to Hogwarts now. I have some lesson plans to work on, and I need to contact Gwendolyn."

"By all means, Cyril," Selima said. "The sooner you can resolve the matter of your inheritance, the better."

One corner of Lukas's mouth quirked up in a wry, lopsided smile. Everyone else called him by his chosen name, even Gwendolyn, but it was clear that Lady Selima was never going to address him as anything other than "Cyril." He couldn't help but respect her perseverance even as it annoyed the hell out of him at the same time. "Good day, then," he said, giving her an ironic little bow. "I'll see you back at school, Remus, Severus." Lukas gave Dylan a more sincere smile; he had grown fond of the boy even if he was a little too clever for his own good at times. Not many humans would have dared to touch a werewolf during the full moon, Wolfsbane Potion notwithstanding. "Good luck with your broom-hunting, Mr. Rosier."

"Thank you, Master Bleddri," Dylan replied. Then he added with an impish smile, "Will you bet on Slytherin in our next match? I don't intend to let anything stop us from winning next time--not even a hexed broom!"

Lukas smiled again. From what the other teachers had told him, Dylan had only a fraction of his father's mischief; Evan Rosier must have been a real hellion! "Perhaps, Mr. Rosier, although I'm not normally a gambling man." But then again, throwing his lot in with Dumbledore to oppose the Death Eaters had been biggest gamble of his life; what were a few Galleons compared to that? He walked over to the fireplace, tossed a handful of Floo Powder into it, and said, "Hogwarts School of Magic!" And for once, returning to the school felt like coming home.

Part 42