Master and the Wolf | |
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Amazon.com - The World of Harry Potter
Amazon.co.uk - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2 Disc Special Edition) [2007] |
Title: Pitter, Patter and Snark Author: Bonfoi_Sbkar (sbkar (at) yahoo (dot) com) Webpage: http://bonfoi.livejournal.com/profile Word Count: 3,719 Pairings: NT/RL, SS/RL Rating: PG-13ish, the smut just fought me all the way Warning: English spelling by an American; bit of flangst; AU Beta: My sister, MJ Summary: When all goods things finally fall into Severus' lap, it takes the help of a mischevious ghost. Written for The Master and the Wolf Snape/Lupin Fuh-Q Fest. Response to the 6th wave challenge: 21) After the war: Snape is declared innocent. Lupin has married Tonks, but she died during the last battle and left him with their baby (son, daughter, twins?). One day Snape visits Lupin, who is totally overstrained with taking care of the baby on his own. He asks Snape for help. Snape reluctantly agrees... humour fic preferred - nice smutty ending a bonus! Remus Lupin had never thought he'd find someone to love, let alone have a child. Standing over the freshly-turned earth at his feet, he wanted only to crawl into the earth-filled hole with his wife of two years. Tears blinded him as he sobbed his good-byes.... Nymphadora Tonks had worn him down and he'd found himself in front of a wizarding Justice of the Peace one blustery winter night. The Auror had done what she always had to do, volunteering for missions when he was negotiating with other werewolves and trying to keep Harry's spirits up as he searched for the last few Horcruxes. It had been a Horcrux that had been the cause of her death...only it took thirteen agonizing months. When she should have been on her death bed, the not-so-clumsy Auror had been protecting her husband during the Final Battle. Screaming his grief into the storm that swept down on the cemetery, Remus fell to his knees. "I can't do this, Tonks..." he whimpered. He thought back to the two cribs being watched by Poppy Pomfrey; their children were lying swaddled within them. "Those babies can't be mine, Nymphadora...they're too precious...and they need their mother...." The broken litany repeated over and over, until a strong hand heaved the lycanthrope to his feet. Harry Potter had attended every funeral for the past three months. If not for the phalanx of Hermione and Blaise Zabini, Ron and Lavender Weasley, and Draco Malfoy, he wouldn't be able to do it, but he'd promised himself that not one friend would ever be sent off without a wish from him...he owed them that, if nothing else. "Remus, you won't do anyone any good covered in mud. You have two cubs that need you now, more than ever. Let us take you home." The group surrounded them, Hermione casting a warming charm as her husband cast a protection charm, the two of them working in unison as they'd learned during the war. Draco and Ron flanked Remus and Harry while Lavender conjured a floating umbrella over the lot of them. It was a sombre, damp group that entered the Infirmary to a Lupin duet. Little did Remus realize that even in death, Tonks would make certain her family was loved... Harry and Draco smirked as they handed Remus a pile of baby clothes—obviously red with gold and green with silver—as they began their get-away. "We told you, Remy, you know we did! It's been two months, and you know we'll come for the nights you transform, but, Draco's planned this for weeks..." Harry's voice trailed off as he saw the panicked look settling on his adopted godfather's face. The twins—Devon Rhys and his sister, Serena Alice—were the apples of almost everyone's eyes, and the scourges of their father's nights. After a month at Hogwarts, under the watchful eyes of professors, recent graduates at loose ends, and Poppy Pomfrey, the Lupin family was turned loose on the world. Each day for the month afterwards, there had been someone to help with feedings and grieving...until today. "Buh...but...Harry!" Remus whinged. "You can't leave me! The cubs are starting to teeth!" He tried to wave his arms, but, since they were full of squalling babies, the motion only led to hiccupping cries. Chuckling, the duo saw the sweat begin to appear on the former professor's upper lip. It was Draco who took the parting shot before they side-along apparated, "You could always fire-call Severus Snape..." Still uncomfortable with the glare of freedom and sunlight, Severus Snape prowled the halls of his decrepit home in Spinner's End. Even after all he'd done, Potter et al had not only stood by him, but they had found the proof needed to exonerate him. Granted, the initial meeting after that fateful night on the Astronomy Tower was bloody and full of invective and curses; Severus rubbed the scar under his left eye ruefully as he reminisced. He apparated to the edge of Hogwarts and walked to the one place he thought might help his tortured musings. Leaning against the Whomping Willow, safe under the writhing limbs, the fearsome spy was re-evaluating his future. After twenty-two-and-a-half years as a Death Eater, twenty-one years as a spy for the Light, and one year-and-a-half on the run from both sides, he was actually looking forward...something he never thought he'd live to see. He'd stood in the background as the end of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was brought to pass, distributing information through split lips and the two black eyes that flanked the broken nose he garnered from Potter's fist. Even while the insufferable idiot had been beating him, he'd been shouting out orders; the boy had finally learned to delegate authority. Sliding down the gnarled bark of the Whomping Willow, Severus Snape realized that he'd not only survived the Second War of Voldemort—as the damned Daily Prophet came to call all those years he'd spied—but, he'd found...friends afterwards. The small smile that graced his lips hadn't been seen for over thirty years, and anyone coming upon him would have wondered what powerful spell could have moulded his lips into such a beatific expression. He thought fondly of Ronald Weasley—and his twin brothers—remembering how they'd dragged him out from the rubble of Riddle Manor. An outright grin blossomed as he thought of Blaise Zabini—best actor to ever come out of Slytherin—and his marriage to the Hogwarts-know-it-all, Hermione Granger. He even had one or two nice thoughts to direct towards Harry Potter and his lover, Draco Malfoy, without whom he wouldn't be enjoying a future. He pounded the ground so hard, one of the flailing branches of the Willow curled up upon itself, quivering. Even the growl he couldn't suppress had it moving closer to the main trunk. Coming to himself, he smirked. At least I can intimidate the shrubbery, if no one else! he thought. Sighing, he thought of the one man he'd give someone else's eye-teeth to be close to: Remus John Lupin. He wriggled against the tree's knots self-consciously. What would the father of two squalling, all-be-it quite adorable tots want with him and his emotional baggage? Every time he got near Lupin, he was handed a baby and a towel and told to proceed with the burping; he still had the first towel Remus had handed him, folded neatly in his top drawer, only to be brought on those "special" occasions. Eyes drifting shut, he chose to listen to the shushing sound of the branches as they batted unwary birds from the sky. It was soothing and familiar and comfortable.... The small branch he'd frightened before uncurled just enough to tug at his not-so-greasy hair, then zip away, back into its ball of safety. But, in the moment it took the branch to twine itself into his still-dark hair, Severus had a revelation: The way to Remus' heart was through his children. Remus' innate calm had been broken by the third hour of his twins whimpers. He'd firecalled Molly, and even broken down and contacted Poppy Pomfrey, for help. Both of them had said to give the tykes chamomile tea sans sugar, but with a tablespoon of plum whiskey per the cup, and that should settle their stomachs; to the experienced ladies, it sounded like they had colic, and while a nuisance for all concerned, it shouldn't last too long. Remus wasn't so certain, especially after he cleaned up the spittle that was awfully watery and vaguely yellow. In desperation, he bit the bullet and bundled his screaming young into a travelling crib and went out to call the Knight Bus. As the Bus approached, he thought the looking on Severus Snape's face just might be worth the cessation of his children's death throes and his last heroic efforts. Knock...knock! Knock...knock! The heavy brass knocker on the very solid, very new oak door pounded again and again. The sound travelled through the wood of the beams, the walls, and the floors to find Severus as he curled up with a good book on courting and making nice to infants. Grumbling to himself, and fleetingly wishing for that damned rat-faced Janus also known as Wormtail to be at his beck and call once more, he stalked down the stairs to see to his unwelcome guest. "What do you want?" he bellowed. The laboured squalls of Devon Rhys and his sister, Serena Alice, abruptly halted only to begin anew with even more vigour. Blinking at the sight of Remus Lupin on his doorstep, bassinet in hand and tears rolling down his face, Severus almost swallowed his tongue. The Ancients must have answered his unspoken prayers...but, there had to be a catch! "S-s-so s-s-sorry," the lycanthrope stuttered. "I was h-hoping you'd h-help me with the t-t-twins." The tears didn't stop once, and seemed to flow even faster as he thought Severus—the only other person Remus had ever been attracted to—looked like a thundercloud descending on an unsuspecting world. Oh, how he needed Nymphadora right then! Taken aback by the poor father and his adorable brats, Severus stepped forward and pulled the Lupin family into his humble abode, already trying to figure out some plan for regaining his advantage. "Hush, Lupin. You merely caught me by surprise." He inwardly cringed; who would have thought he had a Hufflepuff hidden inside? Still directing all three into his library, the Potions Master tried to make the distraught man sit while trying to steal a glance into the bassinet. Finally, he couldn't stand it and Severus snipped, "For Merlin's sake, man, sit down and stop blubbering. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it and the three of you will once again be rosy." The twins' cries lessened in intensity and Remus took a deep breath and wipes at his tear tracks. "Molly and Poppy said the twins have colic. I've given them chamomile tea with the least bit of whiskey in it, just like the two said to." He looked down at his red-faced, blustering angels and sighed. "I don't think it's working and Poppy said not to contact her again until tomorrow morning; I don't think I'm strong enough to last until then." He raised teary eyes to the wizard he'd pinned his hopes to. "Can you help us?" he asked. As he'd just been working up the nerve to court Remus, here he came—family and all—to ask for his help. If Severus did what his heart wanted, he could have them all forever...if he cured Devon and Serena of the dreaded colic. Oh, bloody, ruddy joy! Colic is the damned devil! "Poppy didn't examine them, did she?" At Remus' shake of ‘no', the foremost Potions Master of Hogwarts' current history, whipped out his wand and began casting simple diagnostic spells. The temperatures and symptoms the wee ones were experiencing appeared above each little crying body: Devon was running a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, and had a small obstruction in his bowels, while Serena was experiencing true colic, but seemed to be crying in sympathy with her brother. Remus couldn't contain himself and brokenly whispered, "Oh, my god! I'm such a bad father..." "Damn it, man, you're a damned fine father and this is not something you would know to look for!" Severus kept his other words, words that he'd burn Madame Pomfrey's ears with later, to himself; of all the dunderheaded times to ignore the confused Lupin, this was certainly not the best! "I can help both of them, and you, to feel better in just an hour and a half. The potion Devon needs must be fresh to be most effective, and while I brew it, you will continue with the chamomile tea for Serena. It seems the young lady so sympathized with her sibling, she had to cry with him." Feeling surer of himself, Severus turned to leave the room. "Wait! You're not leaving me here with them? What if I drown her?" The haggard face, the twitching eyes, and the shaking hands all gave away how lost Lupin had finally become. "No, you nodcock. I am going to put the kettle on for the tea, and begin gathering the ingredients for Devon's potion. You are going to walk up and down the hallway, singing lullabies or whatever else the tykes like. Once the tea is steeped I'll be back—the potion will simmer for an hour before I can decant it through some peppermint leaves—and I will help you with the children at that time. Once the potion is ready, the little miss should be well on her way to feeling better and her crying should cease. Devon will follow soon after as the potion eases his pain and lets him fall asleep. Now, does that make you feel better, you great looby?" During his diatribe, Severus had been stroking Remus' hand, and gently stroking his shoulder; not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Remus just...calmed down. Taking a shaky breath, the lycanthrope gave a small grin to his saviour. "Thank you, Severus. I don't know what we...I...would have done without you." He turned his right hand and gently grasped Snape's, only to bring to his lips for a chaste salutation. Severus felt his face burning, the first time since he'd been a green boy, and swiftly turned from Remus. Yet, his fingers lingered for a moment as if afraid to let go. Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin felt every fear and hope and dream her lover had. One wish she'd fought to grant him was someone to love him, as well as their children, and in Severus Snape, her spirit saw the good—even if he fought to keep it hidden under a Slytherin bushel. Using the powers granted her for this one night, she observed everything that had gone on in Spinner's End. A soft brush of her ghostly lips had softened the twins cries, Devon going so far as to reach for the mother he'd never seen. When she was alive, she'd watched Remus as his eyes followed Snape during the Order meetings. Sometimes, he'd even mutter the man's name in his sleep after they'd made love. If she could have done it, Remus would have had both of them in their bed, but, time had been against her. It was good to know, to see, that Severus was as much in love with Remus as her husband was in love with him. She wouldn't let her family pine for much longer, and on top of that, Severus deserved to have some fond memories of little children. The ephemeral spirit stood in the shadows of Severus Snape's house and began to see what she needed to do to help the snarkiest of Hogwarts professors to woo not only her wolf, but their cubs. Although, from the look of things, he was well on his way to making everything all work out. Just like he'd said, everything went like clockwork. Devon drank his potion like a little trooper and Serena had watching in blessed silence as her brother's whimpers finally became the peaceful gurgles of sleep, then she nodded off as well. She didn't let loose of Severus' left index finger for ten minutes after. Remus deflated on the single divan in the library, head barely able to lift from the cushions. The taller wizarder looked over what he hoped would be his family one day and made a decision that would colour the rest of his life: none of them would be sleeping in the draughty library tonight. "Come, Lupin. I'll carry the children and you'll hug the banister. We are going to bed, to sleep like we ought." Within minutes, the Lupin family was bedded down; the twins were gently washed and redressed, put into separate cribs, which were conjured by Severus (with ivy vines carved along the edges and soft fairy-lights twinkling over them) while Remus was sent to the bathroom with a pair of soft cotton pyjama pants and orders to brush his teeth before coming to bed. Unlike the twins, there really was only one bed big enough for the two adults, and it just so happened to be in Severus' room. Remus had shuffled off to the master bathroom, after he'd been handed a pair of surprisingly crimson pyjama pants. His tired mind boggled at the thought of Severus in any shade of red, and as his mind began undressing the imaginary Potions Master, his face took on the colour of the pyjamas. "Um...Severus...do you always sleep in red?" he found himself asking. Looking up from turning the silvery bedsheets, Severus chuckled, a deep rich sound that seemed to curl over and around the lycanthrope's nerves. "Oh no!" he replied. "Potter and Malfoy found it funny to curse my wardrobe, thus every so often something comes out in highly suspicious Gryffindorish colours. These do not offend, do they?" He indicated the pyjama pants and his dark eyes sought out Remus' soft brown eyes, looking to make everything smooth. "Oh, no...no, not at all." Remus clutched the pyjama pants like a life-line and scuttled to the bathroom, slamming door. But, good manners told him to apologize for the noise and he cracked the door open a tad to stutter out, "S-sorry, S-Severus. I'm just t-too t-tired for w-words." Whilst his houseguest went through his ablutions, Severus peeked in on the twins, noticing how much they drew him even as he sidled in to tuck up their blankets once again. Leaning down, he gave each one a gentle kiss, and a whispered blessing for sweet dreams. Must be all those Gryffindors I rub elbows with these days, he thought, even as he smiled to himself. "Hey..." Remus' soft breath almost brought Severus to his knees, and he had a bite back a moan in spite of it, too. "The kids are the quietest I've ever known them," the patriarch of the Lupin pack whispered. "Thank you s-so much, Severus. You saved us all." Within moments, Remus found himself on one side of the bed, with his life-long crush on the other. An almost silent Nox had the bedroom candles dwindling to barely pinpricks of light, and the ritual shuffling of people settling to sleep filled the stillness. That is, until the spectre of Nymphadora pinched Remus' right buttock and then Severus' left one, causing them to turn towards each other rather violently. "Hey!" "What's the meaning of this?" When both men felt the body heat of the other, they realized just how close they really were. Scant centimetres separated their faces, and with a mischevious twinkle in her eyes, Tonks made certain to bridge the gap by shoving her husband into the arms of the only other man who she'd allow to raise her family. "Uh...ohh..." For a first kiss it wasn't all that bad. A bit on the chaste side, but there was much rejoicing as the hands joined in to begin laying the foundation for further explorations. Neither one knew whose moan was first, but both reacted to it, sliding closer, tangling even more with each other and the sheets. By the time oxygen became a necessity, Remus' hand was down Severus' pants, curled around his prize with no further thought that to keep making all those wonderful sounds. His blunt fingers played a tattoo on that silky, creamy skin, bringing Severus ever closer to losing his mind. Yet, those thin, potion-stained hands with the ever-so-sensitive fingertips weren't lazing about during all this time. They were carding through the "V" of hair on Remus' chest, making fiery trials that seemed to flow straight to the lycanthrope's dextrous fingers. For every foray through those curls that Severus took, Remus' fingers pulled and kneaded and cajoled like a maestro. When his mind had turned to proverbial mush, the snidest professor from Slytherin found himself sobbing out his release in the arms of the normally mild-mannered professor from Gryffindor. After the last faint sigh, Severus turned to reciprocate and caught the faintest glimmer of Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin giving him the "thumps-up" and mouthing, Go get him, tiger! Shaking his head, Severus pushed the image back for later musing. Right now, he had a man in his bed, in his arms, that needed...nay!...deserved to be welcomed back to whole life and love with great finesse and a modicum of mind-blowing sex. Which he proceeded to bestow upon him...three times...that night. Neither knew just how supple the other was, but they both decided to save their compliments for later, over cups of hot chocolate and tiny bottles of warm milk. Within all the loving going on that night, Tonks kept a ghostly eye on her family, happy that her wolf was with someone who would share the joys and trials of their children. And, after seeing just how Severus had cast a few monitoring spells on Devon and Serena before things heated up...well, she knew he loved them just as much as he loved Remus. Sending a dozen or so kisses to the two in the "big" bed and the twins in their cribs, she faded into the night. Her departure wasn't missed; Severus had a touch of the Second Sight and he flashed a quick wink, and a "thank you" before she was part of the Ether once again. Sated, sweaty, and finally at peace, Severus curled himself even more around his lover. No matter what the rest of the word said, if Tonks approved, and the twins allowed him, he'd love the Lupin pack to the end of his days. And with the grip his wolf had on him, he couldn't wait to start. |
