Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Long Road	By : SinisterMe Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 63598 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 18
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
- 50
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- 52
Remus woke several times during the night with the phial pulsing warmly against his chest. When it happened again at seven, he decided it was time to get up. Between the knowledge that Severus had likely just died again and of what was coming later today at the Malfoy manor, he knew he’d never get back to sleep anyway. He rose and fumbled through the task of bathing and dressing, going downstairs for coffee or whisky, whichever seemed closer at hand.
He found Draco slumped sideways in one of the armchairs in the living room, papers spread across the magically enlarged coffee table in front of him. More shockingly, he found Harry sleeping on the sofa, feet hanging over one of the arms, glasses on the floor next to his open hand, palm to the ceiling and the backs of his fingers relaxed against the carpet.
Remus managed one step into the room before Draco’s head lifted, his entire body following it up and away from the back of the chair in a single movement. His wide eyes closed slightly as he took in his surroundings, seeing Remus standing at the foot of the stairs holding his cane.
“You should have gone to bed,” Remus admonished, feeling a little like he was channeling Molly Weasley.
“Too many nerves, too much work, too little time,” Draco yawned and stretched. He stood and walked on the balls of his feet away from where Harry was sleeping, sparing only a moment to look on the raven haired man as he went. Remus followed him into the kitchen.
“Coffee? Tea?” Draco asked.
“Coffee, please.”
“How are you holding up?” Draco asked, back to him while he prepared their beverages.
Remus sighed, knowing that despite his best efforts he looked pale and tired. Draco, on the other hand, had slept upright in his clothes and looked like he was ready to speak in front of the Wizengamot.
“Alright, I suppose.” His fingers twirled the container holding Snape’s soul.
“You keep touching that phial,” Draco pointed out, coming to sit down with Remus at the table. “Does it make you feel closer to him?”
“Yes,” Remus answered. He didn’t want to upset the boy, but felt that he should know. “It heated up when Lanning killed him the first time. It’s done it a few times since, the last of which just woke me up now.”
“Merlin,” Draco swore softly. “I hope he can get his bearings through all of this. If he can find just a minute to get a mental shield up he can separate himself from what’s being done to him slightly. I’ve watched him endure some of the most aggressive techniques Riddle had to offer, and he was able to walk away from that time and time again. He’ll be okay.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“On this one I am. I look at what he’s done and what he went through to do it and I know that if he has a reason, he can do anything. He tried to teach me that I was capable of that as well. I hope he was right, because a lot is riding on what I have to say tonight, what we all have to say tonight. …I’m going to go through these speeches one more time.”
“I thought Harry went to talk to Hermione last night?” Remus asked. He would never have known by looking at him, but it occurred to him that Draco was nervous about tonight’s gathering.
“He did. She worked her wonders on them and then he brought them back sometime after you had gone upstairs. I think we must have fallen asleep while going over them. She sent over some books for us to read and we went until quite late…”
“If we’re going over them again, should we wake Harry up?” Remus asked.
Draco peeked into the other room. “No, let him sleep. I’m sure Teddy will come along and rouse him before long.” He was already peering into a parchment full of tiny writing, quill twirling in his fingers.
Remus got up to go through some of the post that had been arriving. “The two of you seem to be getting along well enough,” he pointed out, opening a letter that was sitting in a small pile on the counter.
Draco shrugged. “Severus pretty much nailed it when he said we were idiots when we were in school. I know that I was, anyway. What’s that you’ve got there?”
Remus had gone through all of the mail already and was holding a thicker envelope that was too heavy to contain just one letter, unless it was a novel. Perhaps it was from Darien Ackerley, some papers to read through before tonight? He couldn’t tell if Malfoy was genuinely interested or just trying to change the subject.
“I’m not sure,” Remus said, perplexed. “It’s addressed to me.”
Draco took out his wand and scanned the envelope. “It doesn’t appear to be tampered with and I can’t detect any Charms or Hexes on it.”
Remus made a face and shrugged, tearing at the strip of paper holding it shut. He was reluctant to reach inside, so he ripped the middle of the envelope, folding the edges outward so he could determine what it contained without having to reach in blindly. Upon seeing what was inside, he froze, standing as a statue for a second before letting out a cry, dropping the parcel to the ground and turning to try for the sink, forgetting totally about the cane in his distress. He made it one whole step before pitching forward, thankfully making it near enough to the sink to hold on to the edge and manage to vomit his morning coffee into the basin.
“What the hell?” Draco stood up, causing his chair to slide back on the tiled floor.
He went to Remus before even glancing at the letter, taking his cane in hand and bringing it within reach of the lycanthrope, his hand held out to steady him. “Remus, are you alright?”
Harry chose this moment to appear in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and unfolding his glasses so that he could put them on. “What’s going on in here?” He scanned the room and went instantly to where the other two were standing, his hand going to rest on Remus’ back as the other man clutched desperately onto the edge of the sink.
Remus heaved again.
“He opened a letter and then…” Draco waved his hand as if to indicate ‘… and then this happened’. Seeing that Harry had ahold of Remus and the cane was within easy reach, he went over to pick up the fallen envelope.
“No!” Remus said, turning and shaking his head while looking directly at Draco. But it was too late; the blond had already widened the tear Remus had made in the paper.
He stood steady, looking at its contents with a dead expression. After a time, he reached a shaky hand into the dark insides of the envelope and extracted the item that was causing all of the fuss. He stood still again, looking at it cupped in the palm of his hand as if he wasn’t sure it was really there at all.
“What is it?” Harry asked, voice low.
“Severus’ ear,” Draco said faintly, closing his fingers around the piece of cartilage gently as if he could somehow protect it now.
“Holy shit,” Harry said, adjusting his glasses, clearly completely awake now.
“That bastard,” Malfoy said, his voice gaining anger, “he addressed it to Remus.”
“Can he do that? Just mail body parts to people?” Harry asked, his own voice rising.
“You’re the Auror, Potter, you tell us,” Draco said distantly.
“It’s a fear tactic,” Remus said, voice wavering. “Severus said that he expected more of them, but this...”
“It’s a message,” Draco said, teeth grinding together, “and it’s been received.”
“Why the hell would he send Remus Snape’s ear?” Harry asked, exasperated and still not quite fully awake.
“He’s probably read the papers too,” Draco said, still standing with the ear in his hand as if he was incapable of movement. “He’s just letting us know that all the while we dicker about tonight, he has Severus. He’s just reminding us who is really in control here.”
Harry stepped forward. “We’re not just ‘dickering about’, Malfoy. I believe we can do this, start a change within our society that will bring about and end to all of this madness, and that includes bringing Snape home early. Don’t let this creep shake your confidence, that’s just what he wants.”
“Morning!” Teddy’s voice came cheerfully from the doorway. “What are you all looking at?”
Draco’s fingers snapped closed around the ear. Harry had moved in front of him and was walking over to Teddy, drawing the boy’s attention. He turned slightly and discreetly banished it with his wand, putting it away in a flash so Teddy wouldn’t be frightened.
“Nothing,” Harry said brightly, sitting at the table. Teddy followed him and did the same. “Did you have a good sleep?”
Teddy nodded, setting his dragon on the table and climbing onto one of the chairs. “I woke up once in the night, but sir helped me get back to sleep. Where’s Fred?”
By this point, Draco was helping Remus back to the table, making a second trip to the ice box and bringing him a cold glass of water to clear the taste of bile from his mouth.
“Snape helped you get back to sleep?” Harry asked, leaning in towards the boy. “But… he isn’t here, Teddy,” he told the child gently.
Teddy made a face. “I know he isn’t here, he’s gone for another thirteen days still. He gave me magic jars that have his voice in them to listen to when I get lonely or afraid.”
Harry didn’t look at Remus or Draco before he spoke, “Are you often scared when you wake up?”
Teddy nodded. “I don’t always know where I am at first. Sometimes I have bad dreams and don’t know they’re dreams when I wake up, and then, sometimes, I wake up and am scared that this is the dream and I’m actually still in the box.” Teddy picked the dragon up off of the table and squished him to his side.
“And talking to Snape about these things makes you feel - better?” Harry said that last word as if he couldn’t possibly conceive of it being the right one to pin on the end of that particular sentence.
Teddy nodded emphatically. “Sir reminds me that I’m brave and nothing will hurt me here. He tells me he loves me and will always be there for me, just like daddy will too. He tucks me back in and sometimes reads me another chapter, if I’m still upset. Talking to sir always makes me feel better, even if it’s just his voice in that jar and he isn’t really here, you know?”
“Excuse me, I think I left something upstairs,” Remus said through a painfully tight throat. It was a lame excuse even to his own ears, but he didn’t have anything better to offer a he hobbled off as quickly as his cane could take him. The ear and then the painfully heartbreaking revelation from Teddy was too much for him first thing in the morning – he needed a moment to collect himself without his son’s overly observant eyes on him.
Harry and Draco exchanged a look that clearly said ‘oh crap’.
Draco took hold of the situation, wanting to steer things into lighter territory. “Where is Fred, I wonder?”
Harry shrugged. “Haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“Maybe he went into town for something,” Draco suggested. “Either way we’ll have to manage breakfast ourselves.”
Harry looked down at Teddy and then back up at Draco. “Teddy and I can put together breakfast, I think. You go do whatever it is you do to get ready in the morning. Maybe check in on Remus and see if he – if he found that thing he was looking for.” Harry stumbled but went along with Remus’ plan of escape. Teddy was already having a hard enough time without being filled in on any of this.
“Alright,” Draco agreed easily, heading to the door. “I’m leaving it up to you to make sure it’s edible though,” he teased Teddy.

Draco decided to give Remus some time to get himself together. He ducked into the shower and put on some simple robes, knowing he’d be changing before the gathering at the manor. The process hadn’t taken long and maybe fifteen minutes later he was knocking on Severus' door, finding that it wasn’t closed and the pressure of his knuckles had pushed it open part of the way.
“Remus?” he called softly into the room.
“Come in.”
Draco found Lupin sitting in one of the armchairs by a dead fire, a glass of scotch cradled in his hand and an empty sealer jar resting on his lap. He looked tired, with the room’s light accentuating the dark circles under his eyes. He went over to where the other man was seated, perching himself on the edge of the unoccupied chair.
“I should have scrutinized that envelope further before giving it back to you,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to open it.”
“It isn’t your fault, Draco,” Remus said, giving him his full attention. He was glad they gave him a moment to put himself back together. “Thank you for disposing of it before Teddy had a chance to catch a glimpse of it. I don’t think I could have reacted fast enough.”
“Severus wants the two of you protected at all costs, I don’t think he’d forgive me if I traumatized the boy like that,” Draco smiled.
“He’s so good for him,” Remus said wistfully. “I’m barely able to reassure myself believably most days, so it’s a blessing that there is someone in Teddy’s life who can do that for him, make him feel better, make him feel safe. And why shouldn’t he feel safe? Severus would walk over fire for him – look what he’s willing to endure already in order to keep him protected! On so many levels it just blows my mind.”
“He is an intense man; it bleeds into everything he does. Never a half measure for him, not that I’ve ever seen anyway. His love is like that too, I think – unmovable and harder than stone. It amazes me still, the things he’s done for me. For instance, the first time I was called to be Marked, Severus stepped forward and knelt at the feet of the Dark Lord, listing the reasons it would be a mistake to Initiate me at that time, that it was too soon and I was too young. He begged for him to wait. In front of the entire gathering, he defied Voldemort, for me.” Draco shook his head at the thought.
“What happened?” Remus asked, though he was certain he wouldn’t like the answer.
“Riddle heard him out, believe it or not. Severus was one of his most trusted servants, or so he thought, a member of the Inner Circle. That was likely the only reason he wasn’t struck dead before the first ten words came from his mouth. When Severus was done speaking, he agreed that the points he made were valid and conceded that my Marking would happen at a later time. For his insolence, Severus was publically punished on the spot – a couple rounds of Curses from the other members of the Circle. I wasn’t Marked for another two years.”
“I’m sure he would consider it a small price to pay, Draco.” The more he heard, the more it seemed that Severus’ life had been a chain of miserable choices and events leading up to his current predicament. It didn’t console him one bit, though perhaps it helped to put things into perspective for him.
“I suppose that’s what I’m saying to you as well. I almost lost it for a moment there, but Lord help me, Potter was right when he said that that’s just what Lanning wants. We’re going to give it all we’ve got tonight. The media is with us, the people sound like they’re with us too. All we’ve got to do is put on a united front and not let any of this shake us. The rest will be what it will.”
Remus nodded with a sigh.
“Are you still going to be comfortable saying your part tonight?”
“More than ever I have to be.”
“Potter and I will be up there with you. I need to know you’re going to be alright; we’re not trying to pressure you to do this.”
“I know, but I want to,” Remus said. “Whatever I can do to help him.”
“If anyone can make this happen, it’s us,” Draco assured him. “We’ll go to the manor together and you and Potter can familiarize yourselves with the place we’ll be speaking from. We’ll practice until people start to arrive. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
“I’ll do my best to trust you on that one,” Remus smiled weakly.
“…Is that one of the jars Severus left for Teddy?”
“No,” Remus answered, blushing from the roots of his hair to the soles of his feet, “it’s the one he left for me.”
“Oh,” Draco said, eyebrows rising. “I’d give all the gold in the family vault and my left testicle to hear what that thing has to say.”
“Unlikely,” Remus said firmly.
“That in no way surprises me. Can’t blame a guy for his curiosity, I guess. I’ve never seen Severus so free with his emotions with anyone else before – well, besides myself, I suppose.”
“If you want to know what it says you’ll have to ask him yourself.”
“Unlikely,” Draco mimicked Remus’ previously stern tone and then burst out laughing.
“Are Harry and Teddy eating already?” Remus asked, chuckling along despite himself.
“No, there’s been no sign of Fred this morning, so Potter is making breakfast. I suppose we should go down there and make sure he isn’t trying to finish the job by burning the place down.”
Remus laughed again. “You go on, I don’t go as fast but I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m not in that big of a hurry to eat whatever Potter has foraged for breakfast,” Draco smiled. “We can go together, you set the pace.”
Remus nodded, taking hold of his cane and leading the young man back down into the kitchen. Which smelled wonderful.
“I’m impressed Potter, it smells like we might actually be able to eat this,” Draco ribbed as he refilled coffee in his and Remus’ cups and sat back down at the table.
“I’ve had some practice,” Harry said, bringing over a large plate of fruit and a plate of miraculously scented scrambled eggs with rashers of bacon.
“Where?” Draco asked.
“When I lived with my relatives, I did all of the cooking,” Harry said, apparently content to leave it at that.
“They were Muggles, weren’t they?” Draco asked, serving himself a portion of eggs after everyone was done.
“They are Muggles, yes,” Harry answered defensively.
“Was it difficult to learn to do things with magic after learning to do them without it?” Draco asked interestedly, taking a bite of his eggs. “Merlin, these are good!” he said, not even trying to hide his enjoyment.
Harry looked totally unsure of how to go about having this conversation with Draco Malfoy.
“Kind of,” he said, “so many things you do are instinctual, you know? You just have to consciously think about what you need to do differently. Things tend to take longer to do without magic but I wouldn’t say it’s easier or harder one way or the other, just different.”
“Interesting,” Draco said in between bites. Even though he was eating quickly, his table manners were impeccable. “With the profession I’m looking into, many things will need to be done by hand instead of with magic in order to preserve ancient spells and wards already in place. I’ve been doing some small projects to practice, but many of these techniques are new to me so I’ve never learned to do them magically.”
“You’re thinking of getting a job?” Harry asked openly agog.
“I’ve already got an apprenticeship in place. Magical Repair.”
“Really,” Harry said, clearly not believing a word of it, “you’re going to be a repairman?”
Draco laughed, almost choking on a slice of apple. “I suppose I am! Don’t say that when you meet my father though, I haven’t told him yet. He’d have a bloody fit.”
“I suppose I’m go have to speak with him at some point, aren’t I?” Harry asked, clearly put off.
“He’ll be civil,” Draco said, his distaste showing only the tiniest bit. “He needs us to pull this off. He won’t like having to work with you, Remus, or me for that matter, but he will. I’m not in his good books either at this exact moment, but he will at least keep up appearances, he’s always been good for that.”
“When do you want to go over there?”
“After everyone is done freshening up. I recommend you all wear your best robes, the atmosphere will likely be a little formal.”
“Am I coming too?” Teddy asked suddenly.
Draco and Harry looked first at Remus and then at each other.
“He should be there,” Remus said.
“Are you sure?” Harry asked. “Some… colourful things might be said.”
“We’ll decide about his presence at the speeches later. He should come, I’m sure Fred will be available to watch him this evening while we’re giving our presentation. Wherever he is, he’ll likely be back by then, at least.”
“Alright,” Harry agreed reluctantly.
Draco nodded. “I’m already ready to go. Why don’t the three of you go do the same and I’ll clean up here?”

                When they were all prepared to leave, Draco called for Fred one more time, but received no answer. He gave Harry the Apparition coordinates and they each took a Lupin alongside them. They ended up inside of the wards, right at the front steps in fact, thanks to Draco being with them.
Harry, Remus and Teddy looked around in amazement.
The expansive front section of the manor was perfectly coiffed. White stone paths lead out into miniature gardens, each one branching off of the main pathway they were on. Water was heard splashing from the grandiose four-tiered stone statue in the middle of the front yard. Draco led them down the wide path paved with the same creamy stone, up an impressively carved set of stairs and through the finely gilded doors – each thing appearing as its own unique work of art that blended together in perfect extravagance.
If they were impressed with the exterior, the interior left them speechless. Polished tiled floors checkered white and black extended as far as the eye could see. The ceiling was needlessly high, with complicatedly carved malachite columns extending down to the floor. There was a second floor balcony that spanned the length of the great hall on either side, every inch of its banisters decorated with silver. The ceiling in the hallway was rounded and the entirety of it was covered with magnificent murals depicting historic events in Wizarding history long past. Though the many windows allowed much natural light through, there was a gigantic chandelier in the center of the hall that sparkled as if diamonds instead of mere crystal hung from it. It was set in a domed portion of the roof, crafted with stained glass to reflect the light. Silver and green covered everything with elaborate carvings and embellishments. Remus felt as if he were inside a royal palace and more than a little out of place.
“Everything will be happening in the back,” Draco said, clearly unimpressed by his surroundings.
“It’s beautiful in here,” Teddy marveled, having to stop in his tracks and let his head spin around trying to see everything.
“It is nice to look at, isn’t it?” Draco asked, sounding as if he agreed, but somehow didn’t approve.
He led them past many perfectly white doors with wonderful trim work and on through a set of glass doors that were covered with wrought silver curlicues for protection. To say the courtyard was prepared for the night’s events would have been a gross understatement.
Hundreds of chairs were set out, small tables placed in between each set of them. Thick pillar candles and amazing silver lanterns hung magically suspended in the air above everyone’s heads as far as the outlined space allowed. Large tables spread across the courtyard held premixed beverages, or were manned by elves to mix them to the guests’ preferences. Tables containing tiered trays of the most delicious foods Remus could even conceive of were dispersed across the courtyard also. All of the plants were perfectly thriving and alive, the trees and shrubs had been trimmed into unique shapes, and not so much as a leaf was out of place.
House elves were everywhere, one of them stopped on her way to somewhere, excited to see Draco.
“Master Draco! You is being here already! We is getting everything ready, you is liking it?” she squeaked.
“It’s more than I expected,” Draco answered, smiling down at her. “You couldn’t have done a better job.”
She positively thrummed under his praise. “Noli is thanking you, Master Draco!”
“And I am thanking you, Noli, keep up the good work and tonight will be a guaranteed success.”
The elf looked like she might actually convulse with pleasure at his words.
“Carry on, Noli,” he told her with a smile.
“Noli is thanking you, Master Draco, sir is being too kind,” she gushed. “We is to keep doing our very best, sir!”
Draco nodded as she scurried off.
“It won’t be long until Lucius hears of our arrival,” Draco said.
“Too right about that,” came a voice from behind them. They turned to find it attached to Lucius Malfoy, every hair in place and dressed as if he were having a private dinner with the Minister for Magic.
“Hello father,” Draco said formally, giving the older man a proper bow in greeting.
“Draco.”
“I’m pleased to introduce you formally to Harry Potter, as well as to Remus and Teddy Lupin,” Draco told him, indicating them one at a time.
“The pleasure is mine,” Lucius smiled handsomely, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. His gaze lingered over Remus and Teddy as if trying to size them up. “Thank you all for your participation in this, I’m certain we wouldn’t be able to move forward without it.”
Teddy looked confused, Remus tried to keep his expression neutral and Harry looked like there was a vein in his head that might explode at any second.
“Hello Edward,” Lucius said to Teddy, “I do believe that this is the first time we’ve met. I’m your great Uncle Lucius.” He held out his hand to the boy who shook it, clearly having no idea what else to do.
“Do you have somewhere for us to prepare, father? I believe we’d like a chance to go over our speeches a few more times,” Draco asked crisply.
“Of course, the first meeting room has already been prepared for you. And really, Draco, in the papers and open to everyone?”
“We all appreciate it, thank you, father. I believe it was you who told me to get as much publicity as possible, and I did my best to do that.”
“Indeed,” Lucius said, though clearly it wasn’t all he had to say on the subject. “Well, I trust everything is up to your satisfaction. I know it may be a little traditional for your personal tastes, but I did what I felt was appropriate.”
Draco’s teeth ground together, “You always do. We’ve already taken a quick look. It appears to be perfect, though of course you wouldn’t ever accept anything less.”
“I don’t see why I should have to,” Lucius said regally, giving Draco a hard look and setting his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Oh and Draco, please let me be the first to give you the wonderful news – with the stress of the war over and done with, Narcissa has flourished. I believe you’ll be excited to hear that you can be expecting a younger sibling next spring. I do hope that you will take the time to personally congratulate your mother before all of the fanfare starts tonight.”
Draco appeared momentarily frozen before a mirror image of Lucius’ frigid smile appeared on his face. “I’m so happy for you, father,” he said, bowing his head. “Of course I will make sure to stop in and see mother to congratulate her and give her my love.”
“She will be thrilled,” Lucius said with an unchanged expression. “Now, if you will please excuse me gentlemen, I have a few minor details to see to yet.”
“Of course, father,” Draco said, giving the same bow in farewell as he had in greeting. Lucius was walking away before all of the words were even out of his son’s mouth. Draco righted himself and watched the older man’s back for a moment, an unreadable look on his face.
“Draco?” Remus asked softly.
Malfoy’s head snapped to look at him as if he just remembered he wasn’t standing there alone.
“Right,” Draco muttered. He took a deep breath. “Would you like to go see the stage before people start arriving? I should go and have a quick word with mother. One of the elves will show you to the meeting room if you’re finished before I am.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Remus told him. He recognized an exit strategy when he saw one. “Any elf will be able to help us?”
“They’d all be more than happy to,” Draco told him, “just tell him or her that you’re to go to the first meeting room. They’ll get you there right away.”
Remus nodded.
“You’re just going to abandon us?” Harry asked, unimpressed.
“I have to go speak with my mother, Potter. It will only take a moment, the two of you can get started without me if I’m not there yet,” Draco reasoned.
“Go ahead, Draco,” Remus told him, “Harry and I will meet you there.”
“Thank you,” Draco said and turned towards the house, walking briskly away.
“What the hell was that all about?” Harry asked, following Remus as he began to saunter back towards the stage where they would be giving their speeches in a few hours.
“Remember how I told you before that Draco was dealing with some things?” Remus asked.
Harry nodded.
“Well let’s give him some space to deal with them, shall we?”
“This is ridiculous - his attention can’t be divided right now! I know he’s got his knickers in a twist because he’ll have to share his damn inheritance but Merlin!”
“Harry, I’m only going to ask you once to please not say that to Draco,” Remus said sternly, never breaking his slow gait. “Another person’s life may appear easy, but that doesn’t mean it is without its own set of trials.”
“Are you trying to ask me to sympathize with Malfoy?” Harry asked.
“I am trying to ask you to be mature about this – look around you at everything he and his family have done to aid our cause. Let’s give him a couple short moments to congratulate his mother and have a few words with her. This really is something,” Remus pointed out, looking around and trying to change the subject at the same time. He felt Teddy’s hand grasp his robe. “Everything alright, Teddy?” He asked, pausing to look down at his son.
Teddy shrugged, looking about him with wide eyes. “Who was that man, daddy?”
“That was Lucius Malfoy, he’s Draco’s daddy,” Remus told him, but even as he said the word, he knew it didn’t apply to Lucius and it likely never had.
“Is he really my uncle?” Teddy asked.
“He is your great-uncle. His wife is Narcissa, who was your grandmother’s sister,” he explained.
Teddy shifted between his feet. “Okay,” he said, but didn’t let go of his father’s robes.
Remus placed his free arm around the boy’s shoulders and managed his cane with the other.
“What is all of this for?” Teddy asked, still looking around in either nervousness or wonder.
“We are trying to convince the people that are going to come here tonight to help us with some things,” Remus said, not really wanting to go too far into the particulars and get Teddy’s hopes up before they knew what the outcome would be.
“So you’re throwing them a party?” Teddy asked for clarification.
“Yes, I suppose that we are,” Remus smiled.
They went and looked at the stage, with Remus practicing the stairs and walking across the full length of it, trying to imagine what all of those chairs would look like full of people. Harry chased Teddy about for a bit to distract him from the unusualness of their situation. Before long they found an elf and had him bring them to the first meeting room, as Draco had advised.
They found him already there, sitting in a chair with his elbows on the table, his face cradled in his hands. He looked up, startled and obviously embarrassed to be caught in such a position. He wiped at his eyes, but it was not obvious if this was to snap himself to it or because he had been crying.
“Erm, you okay?” Harry asked, though he was uncomfortable doing so.
“Just tired,” Malfoy dismissed his worry. “We’ve only got a few hours to hammer this out, we’d best get started.”
“What about Teddy?” Harry asked.
“Have you tried calling Fred again?” Draco asked.
Remus did just that. This time it only took a moment for the elf to appear at his side.
He looked at Remus with a grave expression and said, “Sir would not be pleased that you is being here.”
Remus was surprised to hear that, and it showed on his face. “I’m certain he knew I’d be helping Draco with this, and that it would be taking place here. It didn’t even occur to me that he’d take contention with it.”
“Well Fred is telling you now,” the elf said. “You is doing what you have to, Fred understands that and sir will be understanding that too, Fred is sure, but Fred will be taking the little one back to the house now. You is returning tonight?”
“Yes, definitely,” Remus said, an uneasy feeling in his stomach at the elf’s words. “Where were you earlier today?”
“Fred was busy speaking to some of his helpful friends,” the elf alluded. “You is free-minded at this meeting tonight?” he asked Draco.
“That is certainly the intention,” Draco agreed.
The elf nodded. “Come along little one, Fred is getting you home where you is being safe.”
“I don’t understand,” Remus said, “he’s safe here, with us.”
“If you is thinking you is being safe in this house, you is needing your head examined. Call if you is needing anything, Fred will be here very quickly.” The elf collected Teddy and the two of them disappeared without any further conversation other than Teddy’s small wave and ‘bye daddy’.
“Well that was odd,” Harry pointed out.
“Not as odd as you might think, Fred really doesn’t like my father,” Draco said, wincing. “And Severus has never been a fool – he knows that my father is a dangerous man in most circumstances. Either way, I’m glad that Fred is looking out for Teddy. He really didn’t want to hear what we all have to say in our speeches, even if it is only in practice. It would only worry him about Severus.”
“You’re probably right,” Remus agreed, but couldn’t help but feel unnerved by the whole thing. At least he could always call on Fred if by chance some kind of trouble did arise.
The time was getting nearer for them to go back out to the courtyard and begin greeting the people who were sure to be coming any time now. They were planning on going over everything, from the top, one more time when the door flew open and Lucius was seen standing in its open frame, his face no longer painted with the thin veneer of cordiality he had been displaying earlier.
“What in the nine hells is the meaning of this, Draco?” he barked out.
“What?” Draco asked, standing and stepping away from the table to face his father, brow furrowing as he looked around trying to see what had him so enraged.
“Don’t play stupid,” Lucius seethed. “There are about a thousand house elves showing up here in droves and pairs and bakers dozens. They want to sign your petitions.”
“What?” Draco asked again, looking, if possible, more confused than the previous time he had voiced it.
“You heard me. What are they doing here? I’m leaving it up to you to make sure they are either out of sight or holding a tray of drinks before the guests arrive, and Merlin help you if that isn’t the case,” he said, poking his finger into Draco’s chest several times to make his point. “I should have known not to trust you with this.”
“I’m sorry father, I’ll take care of it immediately,” Draco said, eyes on the floor in front of him.
“ … Well, what are you dallying about for, get moving!”
Draco nodded his farewell to the room’s other occupants and turned to leave.
“We’ll come and help you,” Harry offered, “It sounds like too many elves for one man to navigate alone.”
Remus nodded and stood, holding tightly to his cane. He was sure that Lucius was still ‘keeping up appearances’ as Draco had called it earlier. What would his reaction have been if neither him nor Harry had been here, he wondered. “After you.”
Lucius stayed in the room until they were gone from it, and then went his own way.
“Do house elves even have a magical signature to sign with?” Harry asked.
“You really don’t know much about elves, do you?” Draco asked as they walked.
“Raised by Muggles, remember?”
“Right. Well yes and no. They most definitely have a magical signature, but it isn’t quite the same as ours.”
“Will the Ministry accept their signatures as valid?”
“I have no idea, but I’d rather have them and find they’re not useful than the other way around,” Draco said.
“Why are they here? Who invited them?” Harry asked.
Remus stopped still. The other two followed suit. “Fred,” he said. “Fred brought them.”
“God you’re probably right,” Draco said, pondering the elves last words to them.
“Well we’d better go and make the most of it,” Harry said, “it sounds like they have to be out of here soon or it sounds like Lucius is going to shit a brick.”
They found one of the Malfoy elves cowering in fear a respectable distance from the door. He lead them down the hall, with the three of them moving as quickly as they were able with Remus’ need to use the cane as much as he did. They ended up being led through the back courtyard to a smaller garden just behind it. Rounding the corner they found house elves as far as they could see in every direction.
“Sweet Merlin,” Harry marveled. “I didn’t know there were so many elves in the entirety of Wizarding Britain.”
“I’ve certainly never witnessed so many in one place before,” Draco admitted over the din of shrill voices.
“How on Earth are we going to organize them in time?” Remus speculated aloud.
“Are we even going to be able to get their attention?” Harry asked, having to speak more loudly to be heard by Remus and Draco.
Draco sighed, turning to the throng of elves. “Quiet please,” he said to the crowd in a normal speaking voice.
Remus wasn’t sure he’d used enough volume to even be heard over the sea of conversations, but all of the noise instantly stopped, countless wide eyes gave all of their attention to Draco.
“Thank you,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m Draco Malfoy; my family is hosting this event tonight. I understand that you are here to offer your assistance to our cause, and for that you have my erm- gratitude.”
There was much excited whispering among the elves. Movement came from the back of the gathering, the crowd slowly parting to allow an elf much older than any Remus had ever met in his life to pass. She was leaning on a stick herself, and though her ears had lost their buoyancy her eyes had not lost their sparkle.
“We is delighted to be hearing you say that, Master Draco,” she said in a voice roughened from decades of use.
Draco nodded his head in greeting, clearly a little off kilter by everything that was happening.
“I is being Everly, and I is pleased to be meeting you, Master Draco,” the elf said, dropping into a curtsey as completely as her aging back would likely allow.
Draco’s eyes flashed over to Remus and Harry as if asking how he should proceed. Through his uncertainty he took instant action however, giving a full formal bow to match her greeting and said smoothly, “The pleasure is all mine, Everly.”
The elves whispered amongst each other, all very intent on the proceedings.
“I is being asked to speak for the elves here, Master Draco, and let me be getting started by saying that we is all relieved to find that you is being less – offended – by us being here than the last Master Malfoy we was speaking to.”
Draco coloured. “That would have been my father. Your arrival was a bit of a surprise to him, you have our sincerest apologies if in his… shock, he said things that he did not mean.”
“I is believing that he was being shocked, but I is not being young enough to believe he was saying one thing that he was not meaning about us. Word is travelling fast through our community, though most Wizards is not knowing anything about it, nor is they caring. It is being well known that Master Malfoy’s family is not always being gentle to elves being in their service, as is being their right – but we is not here to be talking about that.”
“May I ask why you are here then?” Draco asked, not impolitely.
“We is wanting you to free the slaves,” she said simply.
“But why? You don’t contest the equivalent of slavery being imposed on you or your people, why does it matter so much to you that it happens to someone else?”
“They is not wanting to serve,” Everly said simply, “but we is. Wizards is using them more and more for everything. Is they being more useful than us? No, yet every month it is being harder and harder to find homes to take in the elflings that is ready to be learning to live up to what is being their birthright!”
Draco blinked. “You’re encountering a shortage of work because the lycanthropes are taking your jobs?” he restated, giving Remus and Harry a more meaningful look that said, ‘this is insane, right?’
She nodded. “It is not being a large problem now, but we is worried about the next generation of elflings, and the one after that. We is wanting to put a stop to it, if we is able.”
“Two generations of elves from now, there won’t be any werewolves – that is a main branch of WIBNA’s plan. It is almost impossibly rare for them to mate successfully, and if their owners enforce safety at the moon, eventually they will all die off. Sorry, Remus,” Draco explained, adding the side comment to Lupin with a wince. He wasn’t to blame for this, just repeating facts.
“Master Draco, you is sure that is being the case?” she asked shrewdly, her eyes giving a foreboding twinkle that made Remus’ stomach lurch at the remembered loss of Albus Dumbledore.
“It is what people have been told,” Draco said slowly.
“What if I was telling you that there will be being more werewolves in five years than there is being today?” she said. A ripple of discussion broke out among the other house elves that sounded strangely like dissent. Everly held up the hand not gripping the cane and suddenly they were silent again.
“In that case, I would want very badly to know how you had come into possession of that information.”
“Elves is being everywhere. I, like all of the elflings being born in my line, was being sold into service at the Ministry. I was being the Minister of Magic’s elf for many, many years,” she said proudly. The elves around her seemed to glow as she said this; perhaps that was why she was speaking for them?
“It is being a code of honor among elves to be keeping the secrets of Wizards, especially for the Masters. It is one I is breaking today. This WIBNA, they is making werewolves in secret and then they is selling them for more gold. If they is allowed to keep doing this, it is being possible that many, many more elflings is not being chosen to serve.”
Draco turned to look at Harry and Remus, whose faces were twin images of disbelief.
“Do you know how many they’ve made?” Harry asked.
“They is not making many at once, they is wanting to be keeping it a secret. We is not able to stand for it.”
“Most definitely not,” Draco said, feeling stunned. “You’re all willing to sign the petitions to free the slaves and to look into WIBNA’s actions, then?”
“We is all being willing,” Everly agreed. “We is also wanting them to be freeing Severus Snape.”
“Really?” Draco asked, his brow wrinkled. “I understand now why you care about what’s going on with the lycanthropes, but what is your interest in Severus?”
“He is being a good Master,” Everly said simply.
“And that’s enough for you to all put your magical signatures on a petition to free him?”
“Yes. Fred has been telling us many things. Master Snape was freeing Fred from his Mistresses punishment – being left alone to clean a Manor that no one is setting a foot in ever again until he was to be dying. Master Severus was taking him home and making him useful again. Fred is being allowed to not be punishing himself. Fred is allowed to be speaking his mind and to be helping the Master with his work. Fred is taught to be reading. He is being a good Master, we is all wishing there was being more like him.”
“I know that he would feel both honored and appreciative to hear you describe him like that,” Draco answered honestly.
“Master Snape is not deserving what they is doing to him in there, not at all, and we is wanting to be stopping that too, if we is being able. We is all here to be signing all of the petitions you is having on the matter.”
“Excellent,” Draco said, pulling the self-replenishing box of ballots out from his inner robe’s pocket. “How would you like to do this?”
The matron held her hand out, this time signaling forward instead of calling for restraint.
Remus half feared a stampede of elves to rush forth and overtake them, but only about a dozen elves came forward. They waited in line for Draco to distribute the ballots in even stacks amongst them before heading out into the throng and passing the stacks around. This whole situation seemed crazy, but as he replayed the events over in his mind, something stood out to him.
“Excuse me,” he asked of Everly. “When you said that Severus doesn’t deserve what they’re doing to him, did you mean what you saw in the papers?”
Everly shook her head. “The elves at Lanning manor is being talking,” she said.
Remus stepped forward, almost tripping over his cane. “What do they say? How is he?”
“I is not knowing for sure, so far Master Lanning is not bringing him out of the dungeon, and he is not letting the elves be going in there to be cleaning up. But they is hearing master Lanning, being bent over talking into his floo and not knowing they is there doing their jobs. They is not spying, it is not being their fault that they is having ears to be hearing with. He is bragging about what he is doing, and he is having many friends that is approving. When they is doing his laundry, it is being soaked in so much blood they is not believing Master Snape is still alive, but since they is not being brought in to take him away like the others, they is figuring that he is still being alive.”
Remus was not heartened at this news. “Do you think that they could get a short message to him?”
“I is making no promises, but we could always be trying,” Everly conceded, taking in the worry across Remus’ face.
“Tell him-” Remus said, hearing his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He wanted to say so many things, but none of them would do by proxy. “Tell him that we’re fighting for him. Tell him that I’m trying to do what he asked. Tell him that I -” Remus’ voice failed him.
Everly lightly patted the hand that had a death grip on the handle of his cane. “I think he is already knowing,” she said gently.
By this point the twelve elves had gathered the imprinted ballots and returned them to Everly, who gave them to Draco.
“I don’t know how the Ministry will count these, or if they even will at all. But for what it is worth, we thank you for your support, truly,” Draco said.
“We is thanking you for finding worth in our support,” she said imperially.
“None of you are going to get in trouble for doing this, are you?” Harry asked.
“The ones that is giving the message to Master Snape is doing so at their own risk. As for most elves that is being here, their masters is coming tonight anyway, so they is likely not caring.”
Draco’s eyebrows rose again, but his body bowed in farewell.
“We is leaving now before you is receiving proper guests.” She nodded to them and disappeared with a crack. All around them the sounds of popping corn was heard as one by one the rest of them disappeared after her.
Draco ran his hand across his face. “I scarcely believe it.”
“You and me both,” Harry tossed in.
“There must be six or seven hundred signed and imprinted ballots here,” Draco said.
“Here’s hoping the Ministry counts them,” Remus said bitterly.
“They said their masters are coming tonight, if there are even a fraction of these ballots signed by actual wizards, we might really have something to go on,” Harry said, trying for optimism.
“Only tonight will tell,” Draco said. “Let’s go find my father and tell him they’re all gone before an artery bursts in his head, shall we?”

By the time evening was falling, most of the guests had arrived and Remus had already almost totally exhausted himself. He had gone with Harry and Draco, greeting visitors as they arrived and thanking them for coming. He supposed that he shouldn’t have been surprised at how many faces he recognized, and how many of them still knew exactly who he was.
Harry and Draco ran a good defense, but he still found himself enduring the casual pity and sometimes scorn that was thrown his way by seemingly every person he met or was reacquainted with. Eventually, he felt his feet beginning to ache and there was a persistent feeling that his knees would stop holding his weight, meager as the cane allowed that to be.
Harry escorted him to the table they were all to be sitting at and got him a glass of water, telling him that it was alright if he needed to rest, that he should save his strength for his speech. He sat there now, watching the boys on one end, rubbing shoulders with all of the guests. Harry handled it well; Remus could only imagine how disconcerting it would be to have every person you’re meeting for the first time know exactly who you are before you tell them your name. Draco, on the other hand, seemed to recognize everyone immediately and was often the one in charge of introductions, greeting each new set of people as if they were cherished friends he’d not seen in years. Lucius was on the other side of the courtyard doing much the same as Harry and his son were. Remus wondered if he noticed how naturally all of this came to Draco, if he even saw how fantastic he was with the guests.
He should have expected it, really, but for some reason he hadn’t. He was just about to draw himself up and go to see if he could help the boys, when Minerva McGonagall came striding purposefully towards him, in clear view. It had been so long since he’d seen her face, and he couldn’t stop his lips from turning into a grin despite the mist collecting in his eyes.
“Hello Minerva,” he greeted, grasping his cane and standing. He was glad to find there was no uncertainty in him at addressing her by her first name, every bit of him knew she wouldn’t stand for anything less.
“Remus,” she said. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she instantly reached out her arms to embrace him, whether he liked it or not. He noticed that she too had a walking stick, though her movements with it were fluid and graceful, a clear sign that she’d been carrying it for quite some time.
Lupin returned the embrace as best as he was able. She seemed smaller than he remembered, and her age was more clearly seen than in years past, but her eyes were still kind and the curve of her smile was heartbreakingly familiar.
She finally released him and held him at arm’s length. “I’m so sorry, Remus. If we’d had any reason to believe you were still alive…” She appeared as if emotion might overtake her.
“It’s – I’m fine Minerva, please, don’t-” Remus choked, not sure if her could handle the kind of apology she seemed ready to give. “There’s no way you could have known. Please, don’t apologize to me for anything,” he begged, finding himself wavering. It wasn’t encouraging. She gestured for him to sit, which he did gratefully.
She joined him, pulling her chair close so that they could speak privately.
“I thought we’d never see you again; Christ, Remus, I spoke at your funeral. I tended your grave. To find out that you’ve been alive this entire time, that if we’d only looked for you a little longer... And Teddy!” She extended her hand, resting it on his arm, her creased knuckles almost white as she gripped him.
He put his hand over hers, surprised at its chill in spite of the warm evening. “Teddy is doing wonderfully,” he told her honestly, “and so am I,” he disclosed, finding that that was true as well. Which was good, it wouldn’t do to lie to his Head of House, never mind to a longtime friend.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear you say that, Remus,” she told him, finally pulling her hand back and sitting with her back straight, as he always remembered her doing. “When Harry caught your trail at that auction house, but found you’d already been collected, we all feared the worst. He read the report on the condition you and Teddy were in when you left there, and we couldn’t imagine how you’d ever survive it. They wouldn’t tell us where you’d been taken or by who. It felt like losing you all over again,” she admitted. “But look at you! You seem like you’re almost entirely recovered – you look well.”
“Severus has been more than good to us,” Remus told her. “I can’t imagine how I’d have gotten to this point without him.”
She shook her head. “I could have killed him myself when I found out he had you and Teddy for all this time and didn’t even let us know you were alive. But I never once doubted that he would do right by you, the best way he knows how, anyway.”
Remus nodded, more than relieved to hear her say that. “You’ll find out more when I speak tonight,” he told her. “I’m going up there to try to sway people to put their names behind freeing him early. We have your vote, of course?”
“Don’t be daft,” she admonished. “The entire Order is here, or what is left of us anyway. We thought it best not to all rush you at once, but we’ve all gathered at one table and hope you’ll come by to see us.” She paused. “How is he, Remus, aside from this horrible situation with that charlatan of a Healer?”
“It’s difficult to tell, sometimes. I think he’s doing well. He’s certainly adjusting to our presence there much faster than I ever would have dreamed or anticipated possible. He seems to have a routine of brewing and gardening down, but we’ve been disrupting all of that, of course. He took care of me himself while I was convalescing, and he’s set about making sure that Teddy has as complete of an education as he can provide him alone.”
“Well not alone,” Minerva smirked, “his own pupil in his own house and you’ll still be teaching Defense.”
Remus couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ll have to point that one out to him, afraid I don’t quite have the bollocks to be stirring that pot myself.”
She laughed, but then grew serious. “We’re doing all that we can – anyone with any influence is using it to try to force the Ministry’s hand to have him released. I read the papers and it is pure barbarism, what they’ve done to him. I’ll do anything in my power to have it stopped.”
Remus nodded. “He’d likely be surprised to hear you say that, but I’m not. Thank you, Minerva.”
She smiled. “I can see that I’m wearing you out. You’ll do wonderfully with your speech tonight; I can clearly see it is a matter close to your heart. Please at least do stop by to say hello to the others, you don’t have to stay long, I’m sure we’ll all be worn out by then. But do come.”
“I will Minerva, I will.”
She bid him farewell for the moment with another drawn out hug. Remus sat there, now emotionally drained as well as physically. The night hadn’t even begun yet, not really. He was certain he could do it; he’d endured much worse in his life and come out unscathed, more or less.
Draco and Harry came to find him, bringing him a plate of food. Draco also handed him a Pepper-Up potion he’d borrowed out of Snape’s stores, one with a small white circle on the stopper signifying it was lycanthrope safe. Remus could have hugged him, but ate his supper and drank the potion instead. He’d be totally exhausted in a few hours when this wore off, but it just might get him through the night and more importantly, through his speech.
When most people had finished making return trips to the tables of wonderful food, cocktails and wine were served. Remus passed on that due to his ingestion of the Pepper-Up; the last thing he needed was some kind of unforeseen reaction with the alcohol. He sat back and watched all of the people eating and talking. He’d no idea who most of them were, nor did he care if they helped him to bring Severus home. Harry and Draco were speaking as well, not that he could hear a word they were saying with their distance from him, the chatter of voices and the clinking of cutlery. They appeared to be getting along, or at least tolerating one another, which he had to say he was still quite impressed by.
Finally the time came for them to give their talk. Draco ushered all three of them up the stairs onto the small stage, allowing Harry to go first, then Remus and then finally himself. The boys walked at a speed he could easily keep up with, for which he was immensely grateful. He immediately felt the eyes of the crowd on him. He’d never had anxiety in front of large groups of people before, but found himself feeling almost ill now. He daren’t hazard a guess, but there must have been hundreds of people out there. He hoped he’d make it through all of this without doing something thoroughly embarrassing for him and their cause.
He wasn’t to speak first, which was a blessing as he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to form a complete sentence at this point, let alone read or recite the speech that was written on the piece of parchment now clenched against his sweaty palm.
“Hello everyone,” Draco’s voice came clearly and confidently, magically amplified by a spell he’d preformed. “First of all I want to give you the sincerest thanks of my family, my associates and myself for coming here tonight to hear what we have to say. I hope that you have eaten and drunk your fill, you are welcomed to it. We will do our best to keep this brief, but we do ask that you hear what we have to say and weigh it fairly with your minds and hearts before choosing whether or not to sign our petitions to the Ministry.
“I intend to be honest with you tonight, to tell you the truth as I know it and allow you to judge it for yourselves, something I’m almost one hundred per cent certain no Malfoy in history has said and meant,” he jibed. Many of the guests chuckled alongside him. “I want to talk to you tonight about slavery, and that also means discussing WIBNA. You likely haven’t heard many voices calling their actions and policies into question, but we cannot be coerced into silence, nor can we be paid for it, and so tonight you will hear what we have to say loud and clear and see that we are united for change. A change that we are calling on all of you to help us make.
“I doubt that there are any of us here who could not look to the left or to the right of us and not feel the loss of someone dear to us who is not there now. Ours is a society trying to mend the wounds of two wars. On this matter I have no pretenses; the scar that once was the Dark Mark still mars my arm. This, all of you know, and I will do none of us the disservice of ignoring it, nor of pretending that it is otherwise. The Mark that is still on my body stands for hatred. It stands for ignorance and intolerance. It stands for death. Not just the death of some of us, but for the death of us all. It stands for taking the whole and dividing it endlessly until nothing is left intact. Until nothing of worth remains at all.
“Myself and my family - many of our families – did not have the heart or the common sense to see this at the time. And for my blindness, at least, I must again beg your forgiveness and offer my apologies, though if I said them endlessly and without pause for the rest of my life it would not change or undo what has been done. What we have done. What we stood by and allowed to happen. It would not bring back those that were lost, that we, in our closed world of hatred and fear, took from you. It is a grief, a ceaseless regret that I will carry around with me every day for the rest of my days.
“I do not say this to earn your pity, or to make less of what has happened. I say it so that hopefully, you will understand why it is so important to me, to us, the Old Houses, that you see why we cannot stand by idly and allow another such weight to be laid upon us. We will not again stand by while these men, women and children are bought and sold, used and then incinerated when they become inconvenient. You, the people who fought and rallied against us, might not recognize the silver tonged whispers for that they are. But we have heard them before.
“The same lies that WIBNA puts into your ears now are the same that Voldemort put into ours, only a few of the nouns are different. They are changing your way of life. Their blood is impure. They’re stupid and filthy and naturally subservient. They are dangerous and must be controlled, policed, locked away or killed. Sounds more familiar now, doesn’t it? Are they lycanthropes? Yes. Are they potentially dangerous once a month? Very much so. However, it is a condition that does not strike at random. It is a condition that is easily controlled with the correct doses of the proper potion, with proper lodging and education. If we wanted to manage it as a society, we could. WIBNA is using fear to achieve their agenda. They are giving you the sensation of control and allowing you to feel powerful while they themselves are amassing so much wealth and influence that if we don’t come to our senses soon, they will be unstoppable.
“Meanwhile, an entire group of people are being decimated for their greed and our convenience. Families are being destroyed. Children and women and men are being sold into sexual slavery. Living, breathing, self-actualized people are confined in deplorable conditions, being worked and beaten and starved to death. To do nothing is to give WIBNA the power to decide how our society functions, and seeing the misery they enforce as law, we cannot endure it. I, for one, have already made the mistake of compliance out of fear once in my life. Fear for what would happen to me and my family if I did not go along. For what would happen to our heritage and traditions if I didn’t. I ended up as a slave myself, to a madman who wanted nothing more than his power over me, over everyone. Who made me kneel at his feet, who had the power to dictate if me or my family lived, or more likely, in what unthinkable fashion we were to die if we failed to please him. I will not make the same mistake twice. I will also not abide such a meager life to be forced on anyone else, not without doing my best to stop it. Not this time.
“So I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, please, don’t make the same poor decisions as I made, as so many of us made. Let the horror and anguish that came out of our folly be enough of an example for all of you, please don’t make us fight yet another war for freedom. Sign these ballots, now, while there is still time to do so. Let these people go free and begin to heal the fractures in our society. We cannot be strong unless all of us are strong. Thank you.” He hung his head and was silent.
Harry looked looking at Draco as if he didn’t quite recognize him for a moment. He cleared his throat loudly. “I suppose that makes me next. I also want to say thank you, for coming and for listening. Also, I would like to thank the Malfoy family for making all of this possible; they have been most gracious hosts.” In spite of the fact that Harry looked as if the words would choke him as they left his mouth, he clapped and the entire gathering applauded along with him. Draco gave a formal bow to Harry and then to the guests in appreciation of their gratitude.
“Though I have not shared the same experiences as Draco during the war, I agree completely with everything he has just said. I’ve been on the wrong side of this man’s wand more than I can count, and I know that he could say the same for me. As far as I know, we went through seven years of school together and didn’t agree on anything once. But I stand beside him today and find myself in total alignment with what he is saying to you here and now.
“I fought and defeated Voldemort. I did not do it alone; many of the best men and women I’ll ever know fought and died beside me, kept me going. I was so sure that once Voldemort was finally, actually dead, everything would be okay. I could go on and live my life like a normal person. And so could everybody else. Not just because everyone deserves the right to be able to do that, but because what else had we all been struggling for? Why else would I have buried so many of my friends and family? Why would any of us? I was so sure that we would stand up and be strong, together as Draco mentioned.
“But I look around today and I don’t see the world I’d fought for all those years. I see a world still shackled by fear. I see people suffering and other people profiting from it. I see this man beside me, Remus Lupin, the father of my godson and the closest thing I have left in this world to real family, put into chains and sold. I see the money from his bondage going to the very government that I fought and died for. I look to you now and implore you with all honesty, how could we have allowed this to happen?
“WIBNA must be held accountable! If the Ministry wants to stand behind them, then they must be made accountable as well. We have seen what we are capable of when we are united. I have witnessed the love and compassion you are all capable of. We took care of the orphans and the widows and the people who were injured fighting, the families of those who died. Why does our humanity stop there? Why can it not extend to these people as well?
“So many of them were not involved in the war. Did Voldemort court them? Yes. He offered them a place in his new world, something they had never been allowed in ours, if they fought for him. Yet, of the fifteen largest packs known of at the time, only two of them chose to fight alongside him. Even Greyback was only one man, who made himself a small army of children. He infected them with a curse that would plague them then rest of their lives. He took them from their families and stripped them of their humanity in any way that he could. But did we lift up those children, try to heal the wrongs that had been done to them? No. We put them into chains and sold them to the highest bidder. We are punishing an entire group of people for the actions of a few men and women…”
Remus tried to listen to the closing paragraphs of Harry’s speech, he really did. He found that it took more effort to keep his breathing even, to keep himself from shaking with anxiety and adrenaline. To say that he was overwhelmed was a vast understatement. Perhaps part of it was just jitters from the Pepper-Up potion, but he knew that without it, he’d be sitting on a chair instead of standing to address all of these people and that simply wouldn’t do.
Severus would be able to do this. He was likely enduring something far worse at the moment than public speaking, however. If he could look Lanning squarely in the face without so much as twitching, Remus figured that he could stand up here for another twenty odd minutes or so and get out a few paragraphs without making a complete fool of himself. Severus was counting on it; they’d left him for Remus to talk about. He could do this for him, and he would.
He looked over to see both Draco and Harry looking at him expectantly. Damn, he’d hoped for a few more moments to mentally prepare, but it looked like it wasn’t meant to be.
“Hello, everyone,” he began timidly, finding that his voice came out loud enough to be heard in the farthest reaches of the courtyard in spite of his hesitancy. “I’m certain that most of you know who I am as well, though unlike Harry Potter, I do feel the need to introduce myself.”
Harry blushed and gave a wave and a small bow.
“My name is Remus Lupin, and I was a member of the Order of the Phoenix during both the first and the second wars. I have a full education from Hogwarts, where I taught Defense for a year as I’m sure most of you read in the papers. I am the widower of Nymphadora Lupin, nee Tonks, an Auror who lost her life in the same invasion that resulted in the capture and enslavement of both myself and our son, Edward Lupin.
“I am not here to spend my time speaking to you about freeing the lycanthropes. Draco and Harry here have already done such an eloquent job of that. Besides, being a werewolf and a slave myself, it likely wouldn’t surprise any of you to hear that I wish to abolish the slavery of my kind.
“I would rather, instead tell you a small piece of my story as a slave. My son and I are currently owned by Severus Snape. But before that, we were in the possession of one of our captors, who took on the role of our master after we were taken during the raid on our home. His name was Walden Macnair – I believe most of you are familiar with him as well.”
The whispers and looks of disbelief spoke for themselves on that matter.
“In the beginning, the spells he cast on us were illegal throughout the country. My son, for the time, was given a general bond, being too young at the time for our master’s preferences for preteen boys. I myself was put under a bond of sexual slavery. He owned every part of me, and never allowed me to forget it for one second. I won’t go into the grueling details of the things I was made to do, both for him and for his associates, as it is not a topic for polite company such as all of you. In the end, shortly before his death, I was punished for spitting in his face. I just couldn’t handle one more second of the list of foul things he had planned for my boy when he was old enough. In retaliation, he burned over half of my body with magical fire and left me untended for two days. When he did finally treat me, it was to clear my wounds and magically cover them to prevent infection. That was it. Other than that, I was to heal myself and deal with the pain alone.
“It was to my great fortune that he died very shortly after. My son and I were sent to an auction house, where we were separated and put into filthy, overcrowded pens with no other treatment. The protection spells over my wounds had fallen when Walden died. I was given no aid or treatment there, left to live or die as I would. And then Severus came.
“Due to a change in the laws, Macnair was able to leave us to him in his will, like property. Even though he had every reason to hate me, he took us in. He cleared out my wounds and then tended to them himself, several times a day if needed. He fed me and bathed me and clothed me. He treated me like an actual person that deserved respect and dignity. He cared about the things I wanted, about my comfort, my piece of mind - things that I couldn’t even think about for myself. He took time to build up the spirits and the confidence of my child, to earn his trust and then to live up to it. He cares for him, above and beyond what is required of him. He is teaching him things, playing with him, listening to his concerns. I honestly couldn’t imagine anything better, for my son or for myself.
“Right now, he is enduring untold punishment, of his own free will, for the sake of my son. This man that sacrificed his entire adult life trying to make up for one mistake, undergoing massive amounts of personal risk so that we might have any scrap of information. This man again offered his life, this time for that of my son, so that WIBNA wouldn’t kill him for defending himself from a sexual predator - a predator that is employed by WIBNA and given free, unrestricted access to children. For that, they wanted my little boy’s life. Severus wouldn’t have that, and volunteered himself in place of my son. The enormity of that still leaves me blindsided. Though when I put together everything I know about this man, it really shouldn’t.
“I’ve read the letters many of you sent back to our outcry for your support in these matters. I am astounded how many of you can say the same as me, that Severus Snape put himself on the line to save you or your families. He wore the same mask and the same Mark as those people intent on terrorizing and killing you, but when he could, he hid your children or spared your spouse. You didn’t know who it was at the time, but it all came out in the trials when they scoured out his brain like a stubborn pot. I’ve read as much thirty times or more in the last couple of days, in the responses you sent us.
“For the sake of those who haven’t had the privilege of reading those letters, can I please ask that you put up your hand, if you or one of the people you love in your life were one of those that he put his cover as a spy and his very life on the line to save?”
There was silence for a moment. Two, thee, ten hands went up and then even more. Remus took in their audience and found hands scattered across the entire courtyard were raised. He nodded sagely and lifted his own hand. Harry and Draco raised theirs as well.
“Do you see that?” Remus asked. “Those are the hands of people who directly know what they owe this man. I don’t know how many more hands would be up in the air if we took into account all of the information he passed that prevented Voldemort from succeeding in any number of plans and plots against us.
“How can we allow the man solely responsible for so many of our lives to be punished for what he had to do? When he was likely afraid and outnumbered, he did his best by us. How can we not do the same for him when they’re murdering him over and over and over? We don’t even have to put ourselves in danger to repay what he’s done for us. All we have to do is to put our name and magical signature on a piece of paper. I’m asking you to please, do that, for him. He would never ask it of you himself, but I am asking you now. Please, help bring him home, to me, to my son. Please don’t allow them to keep doing this to him…” Remus ended his speech abruptly, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.
Harry and Draco spoke some more, likely trying to clean up the mess he’d made of things. The press came forward and asked some questions of them, answered flawlessly by Draco. The ballots were passed out and returned. Then the bar opened again, and people were invited to stay for another drink or so and some socializing.
Finding a moment for themselves, Lucius convened with them at a side table while people were still milling around near the bars and reopened food tables.
“I think that went wonderfully,” Harry said. “You did great, Remus,” he emphasized, touching the other man’s elbow as he did.
“You and I need to talk,” Lucius said to Draco, “privately.”
“Is everything alright, father?” Draco asked. “I think things went well. We can contact Ackerley and see how the ballots tallied first thing in the morning. He has the counting sheet at his office, or something like that.”
A young man was walking purposefully up to them, unseen to Draco from where he was standing. He was tall and fit, his hair brown and well kept. He was wearing a full set of formal Wizarding robes that practically reeked of money, complete with matching hat.
“Hello Draco,” the man said coolly in a heavy French accent, “I heard you and your family were on a mission to free the werewolves - I just couldn’t believe it until I saw it for myself,” he said, stopping a short distance from Draco, who he was clearly addressing with deride.
Draco stopped mid gesture while he was speaking to Lucius, the sound of the man’s voice seemed to send a shock of electricity through him, a look of surprised disbelief on his face. Then he sprung into a flurry of motion, turning around and saying, “Gerard?” with a painful amount of hope in his voice. Lucius wore an expression of boredom, but he otherwise seemed ready to watch how the scene unfolded.
The man gave the slightest shrug of his square shoulders. “That speech you made was touching - you poor thing, carrying around such heartbreak over all those people you helped to slaughter.” He put the backs of his fingers lightly to his forehead in a feigned swoon. “You’re quite the little actor,” he sneered, “I wonder how many of these people you actually fooled tonight, hmm?”
Harry’s forehead creased, “Hey, listen here mate,” he began crossly. “I don’t know what you’re on about but-”
Gerard took in the group before him and his eyes stopped at Harry, standing indignantly beside Draco. He interrupted Harry with a peal of delighted laughter. “I see how it is; you’ve already found a more powerful wand to polish. What they say is true then, the Malfoys will bend the knee, so to speak, to anyone they think will further their family name. Pathetic,” he sniffed.
“Hey!” Harry said, but it seemed all he could manage in his surprise.
“Gerard, I-” Draco started.
“Don’t bother, Malfoy, you aren’t worth the time I’m wasting on this conversation. I just had to see it all for myself, though after watching tonight’s performance, I’m appalled that I didn’t see through you in the first ten minutes.” He leaned in towards Draco and hissed angrily, “I can’t believe I ever touched you, you death eating whor-”
“Excuse me,” Lucius interrupted in a tone that commanded the attention of everyone around them. “I don’t know who you think you are, you obscene little cretin, but you had better hold your tongue before you find it hexed out of your empty head. The nerve of someone like you - in last year’s robes and a face like a bad piece of modern art - coming here and speaking like an uncouth little beggar from the slums of Knockturn Alley in front of me and my guests. You are so far below my son that they’d have to dig a thirty meter hole under his feet to even see the top of that ridiculous hat!” Lucius snapped. “Get off of my property before I have to show you out myself.” He turned to Draco. “If this is the sort of trashy company you keep, we really are going to have to have a long discussion about your choices in life.”
Draco appeared speechless, while Gerard shrunk back a few steps before Apparating out of sight. He had a look torn between optimism and agony on his face. “Thank you, Fath-”
Lucius held up his hand and spat in a whisper loud enough only for the ears of those standing very close to him, “Don’t. I do not want to hear it right now – I hold you completely responsible for that shameful display."
Draco’s face donned its neutral mask. “Of course, Father.” He tilted his head and left the table, head still held high has his brilliant smile flashed at the first person who stopped to speak with him, for all appearances as happy as he could be.
“My apologies you had to witness that,” Lucius offered to Remus and Harry, “some people have no class.”
“I’d say,” Harry muttered, the expression on his face leaving no doubt that he was referring to Lucius himself.
Lucius let out a snort of derisive humor, but his eyes were ice. “If you’ll excuse me then, gentlemen…” he exited in the opposite direction his son had.
“Well that was awkward,” Harry said, clutching his glass of champagne a little more tightly. “Who was that mouthy bloke, anyway?”
“Gerard, I believe,” Remus sighed. “He and Draco have recently broken it off.” It didn’t feel like betrayal to say that, since the display that had just happened had left little doubt in most people’s minds as to what had transpired.
“I thought Lucius actually had his back there for a moment,” Harry said, perplexed. “Why would he defend him and then be so horrible immediately after?”
“It is between Lucius and Draco, Harry. If Draco wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself,” Remus told him. Personally, he thought that such behavior might have something to do with Draco’s scorn of Lucius ‘keeping up appearances’. He kept his thoughts to himself for the moment.
Harry rolled his eyes. “Figured you’d say something like that. Do you think all Slytherins are so confusing, or just the ones I know personally?
Remus smiled. “On that, I honestly couldn’t say.”
“Come on then, we’re Malfoy-free for the moment, let’s go and say hello to the Order. Most of them are still here and all of them can’t wait to see you!”
Remus let himself be dragged over to the table with so many familiar faces at it. Part of him wanted to go and find Draco to make sure the boy was alright, but he knew he’d only be resented for it anyway. When he was ready, he’d come find them. As it was, he had more than enough to deal with just scanning the faces seated at the table Harry was leading him to. He mustered his strength and smiled the best he could. While he really did want to see these people again, his energy was waning fast. He reminded himself that the worst was over and soon they would be heading home.

Remus lasted as long as he could with Harry and the Order. They seemed intent on enjoying the Malfoy’s hospitality to the fullest, and when the third round of drinks was being ordered, he had had more than enough, almost nodding off into his cup more than once. He made his excuses and they all understood, or at least claimed to understand, why he couldn’t stay. Assuring Harry that he would be fine on his own, he stood and asked the first elf he saw where he could go to get some peace and quiet.
The elf brought him happily to a small study on the first floor, setting him up in a comfortable chair and bringing a full tea service that he had no intentions of touching. He was told to call if he needed anything and then was left on his own.
It didn’t take him long to nod off. The mental and emotional exhaustion of seeing all of the people from his former life had completely taken it out of him. The Pepper-Up had long ago lost its usefulness and he found himself totally exhausted with it out of his system. He closed his eyes and trusted Harry or Draco to find him when they could leave.
                The sound of a door opening and quietly clicking shut was enough to startle him out of his sleep. It took a moment to get his bearings, but when he did, his surprise was complete upon seeing Lucius Malfoy standing alone, directly beside his chair.
“You’ve always intrigued me, Remus Lupin,” Malfoy said, freely using his first name, which sounded obscenely like a caress coming from his mouth.
Remus shivered, wishing he’d set some kind of ward to warn him of people crossing the doorway. He tried to shake the sleep from his mind. “Pardon?” he asked, completely unsure of what he was hearing.
“Even as a scrawny little first year, pleasant and placid and always staying out of the way – I knew there was something you were hiding. When Severus outed you as a werewolf I could have laughed – I’d never have suspected that was it.”
“Well I suppose that was the point, wasn’t it?” Remus asked, unsure of where exactly this is going, but feeling the hair prickle on the back of his neck just the same. He reminded himself that this was the man that had sold his own son to the Dark Lord, the man that had hurt Severus so terribly while still considering himself his friend.
“Yes, I suppose it was,” Lucius nodded, leaning leisurely on his silver handled cane. “Still, the fact that you deceived us all for so many years to such an extent – it is quite exemplary when you think about it. I’ve met many other werewolves but none of them have been as well-spoken or as civilized as you, not by a long shot.”
The odd feeling that Remus was experiencing was not going away. All the same he felt distantly offended by Lucius’ words. “Believing that all lycanthropes are the same is as foolish as believing all Purebloods are the same – you and Arthur Weasley for example. He is a Pureblood, but he is a hardworking, honest man that cares about his family above all else – the two of you are nothing alike.”
Lucius looked as if he were to become furious for a moment, his face clouded and his hand tightened on the pommel of his cane as if he might lift it in anger against Remus. Then the storm passed and he laughed openly, spelling a chair to come closer and perching himself on the edge of it. He straightened what Lupin assumed was his bad leg and looked at him with an amused expression, his cane resting across his lap.
“That was a very devious response, Remus. You set me up beside someone I find unfavorable, only to diminish me in the same sentence. This puts me in the uncomfortable position of defending myself, therefore having to fight to secure my worth when weighed against this individual, or of letting the dig pass, in which case I am openly diminished in comparison to him.”
Remus shrugged, “You can choose to deduce all of that if you like, but I personally think it would be reading too much into everything.” His anger at this man was making him bold to the point of stupidity.
Lucius just looked delighted, leaning his elbow on his knee and his chin on the palm of his hand. “Severus must be very fond of you,” he stated, sounding almost warm for a moment.
Remus hadn’t expected that and said nothing, his jaw tightening. He should have known to keep his head down and agree with whatever Malfoy said - Lucius had him at a distinct disadvantage. He was, for all intents and purposes alone with this man, and despite everything they were trying to accomplish, he was still just a slave with no defense against a free individual.
“You seem quite hostile towards me,” Lucius pointed out casually, as if this was of little to no importance to him. “I wonder, is it because of something or things that he told you about me?”
It was clear that he was talking about Severus, and Remus could tell that there was more to the question than its meager words implied. He tried, but knew that he was unable to calculate all of the possible things Malfoy could hope to glean from any answer he decided to give. “It might be,” he allowed. “Or maybe your behavior tonight has been enough all on its own, who is to say?” Remus said, showing much more bravado than he felt.
Lucius expression didn’t change save for a rising of his slender eyebrows. “You disapprove of my handling of Draco,” he deduced.
“He is your son, he doesn’t need your ‘handling’, he needs your support,” Remus said brashly, letting his true position be known likely earlier than was healthy for this specific conversation.
“I see - you’ve been a father to your own son for a few weeks and you deign to tell me how I should raise mine,” Lucius stated, back straightening and handsome face hardening a fraction. “You likely believe that I should turn my back on centuries of tradition for him, as does Severus. That I should accept him for who he is and ask for nothing more from him. That I should allow my son to be the man to end the Malfoy line because his proclivities differ from convention, and do so with a smile on my face. Everything I have done in my life, I have done for my family name. If Draco is to end it, it will all have been for nothing.”
Remus was shocked to receive such an open answer from the aristocrat. “I don’t claim to have the answers, sir,” he deferred to Lucius, sensing rage still bubbling below his surface and suddenly losing his moxy. “But I know that if he were my son, I’d be proud of him no matter what he chose to do with himself.”
Lucius looked as if he would argue with this. “He is a remarkable young man,” he allowed, his features softening almost imperceptibly. His smile became razor sharp as he stood, leaving his cane propped up against the chair he had been occupying. “You’re not unremarkable yourself. I can see why Severus was always so fascinated by you.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir,” Remus said, feeling suddenly out of his depth. Now that Lucius was standing he couldn’t help but feel like the man was looming over him where he sat.
“Well, then you’re nowhere near as intelligent as I thought.” He moved nearer to Remus and set a hand on the arm of his chair, bending at the waist and leaning in slightly as if to emphasize his authority. “I’ve been trying to get him so speak to me, to respond to my post even, since the trials ended. Even experiencing his wrath would be a welcomed interaction at this point – I wonder, what would I have to do to you to earn that from him?”
Remus met his icy stare with more intensity than he felt, wondering how the conversation had gotten to this point. “I get the impression that he would be outraged if you as much as rumpled my shirt,” Remus told him honestly enough.
“That’s interesting, as what I was thinking would rumple more than your shirt, Remus,” Malfoy’s smile was absolutely treacherous as he said it. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of harming you,” Lucius appeared every bit as though he might do more than that despite his words. “Severus obviously cares about you, and I already have enough to make up for as it is.”
“I imagine that you do,” Remus said levelly through his fear. He knew that if he showed this man any weakness, he would be instantly devoured.
“You have balls made of steel, werewolf,” Lucius told Remus, brushing his hair back and tucking it behind his ear.
“And you have a brain made of cabbage if you think that accosting me will help your relationship with Severus in any way,” Remus argued, swallowing his bile at the merest glance of this man’s hand across his skin.
“You’re probably correct,” Lucius agreed. “In fact, I quite truly doubt that any action on my part will improve my relationship with Severus again; one can only destroy and rebuild a bridge so many times, I suppose.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Remus said for lack of anything better.
“I doubt that you would,” Lucius granted as if it were a pity. “If he would be so upset over your rumpled shirt, I wonder what we could provoke from him if I …disheveled your trousers? Do you think he’d want to have words with me then?” he ran two fingers lightly down Remus’ robes, applying the other three and the rest of the palm as he continued the caress more firmly down to his thigh.
“I doubt very much that you would enjoy the words he’d choose,” Remus attempted to keep his voice steady, though inwardly he was floundering. The idea of this man continuing to touch him, of being powerless to stop him left him almost breathless with anxiety.
“You’d be surprised,” Lucius smirked. “His wrath and his libido rage hand in hand, the more furious he is, the more eager he is to please, in the end. I’d have started from worse places only to end up with him eating from my palm, so to speak.”
“Ever wonder how much of that was as fraudulent as his lip service to Voldemort?” Remus asked, incensed on Severus’ behalf. “You were Severus’ ticket back into his good graces again and again, or so I was led to believe. How much of his adulation do you suppose was really and truly given to you? How often do you think that he went home and had to scrub the scent of you off of his body just to be able to settle down for his cuppa?” Remus was making all of this up, but he couldn’t imagine Severus willingly, endlessly submitting to this man while loving every second of it as Lucius seemed to imply.
Lucius’ hand returned to the robes at Remus’ chest, tangling with them tightly for a moment as if he meant to lift him clean out of the chair by it. His grip strengthened until it was past the point of tension and Lupin ended up lifting slightly out of his seat. “You know, you’re quite impertinent for someone who spent so much time with Walden. He used to take lessons from me, you know.”
“Funny, that isn’t what your testimony to the Ministry said,” Remus threw back.
Lucius’ grip didn’t lessen, but he laughed until his shoulders shook, and when he raised his head to look at Remus there were tears of mirth in his eyes. “I suppose I truly can see why Severus is so smitten with you.”
“What is going on here?” Draco’s outraged voice was heard loudly from the doorway neither of them had apparently heard opening.
Remus didn’t answer, as he thought it was a damn good question himself.
“I was just talking to Remus here,” Lucius said, not budging an inch from where he was bent over Lupin, hand still clenched in Lupin’s clothing.
“It didn’t look like much of a conversation,” Draco said darkly. “You should try unhanding him, I find most discussions I hold go much better that way. Are you alright, Remus?” Draco asked pointedly.
“I think I was handling myself well enough,” Lupin answered through gritted teeth.
“Yes, I suppose you were,” Lucius allowed, grasp finally slackening. He took a moment to pointedly straighten Remus’ robes, brushing imaginary dust from them and making sure everything was back where it was supposed to be.
Draco looked between the two of them in disbelief. “Severus wouldn’t appreciate you manhandling him, father; he’s gone to great lengths to keep him safe. He’s been left in my charge and I would like it very much if you took your hands off of him and backed away.”
Lucius straightened. “Really Draco?” he asked. “You’ll stand up for him, but not for yourself?”
Draco sighed heavily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about father,” he told Lucius. “Come on Remus, we’re leaving now,” he turned his attention to Lupin.
Lucius held his hand out to prevent Remus from standing.
“You haven’t a single idea?” Lucius prompted.
Draco groaned. “Does everything have to be about this? I’ve already told you that I’m not going through with an arranged marriage. I won’t pretend to devote myself to someone just to continue the family name. More than that! I won’t father children just to further the family name – it isn’t fair to me and it most definitely isn’t fair to them - especially since I can’t stand the idea of copulating with any woman, for any reason whatsoever. I don’t want to lie anymore father, after everything that’s happened, I want to live for myself.”
“I met the man you were prepared to throw your life away for, and let me tell you that he was no prize, Draco. It leads me to believe that your judgment cannot be trusted in this.”
“In my own life? I trusted it to you for enough years that I know I will make less foolhardy decisions with it than you ever did. This isn’t just a matter of gain or loss to me, of winning or losing – I only get one life, father, don’t you think that I deserve to carve some happiness out of it?” His voice broke, as did his eye contact with Lucius.
Remus felt a pang of sympathy for him, in spite of the unusual circumstances.
When Lucius didn’t immediately answer, Draco continued, “I’ve told you that once already, and your response was to kick me out of the manor. Now you’re having a new child and you’re cutting me out of everything if I don’t comply with your wishes.”
“That is right Draco, you’ll never get a single thing from me or from your mother if you don’t act like a proper Malfoy and take a wife, continue the line, further the family name – not one single knut. Do you know what that would mean for your future? Think about it for one second.”
“I’ve already thought about it,” Draco proclaimed. “I’ve explored several alternatives – I’ve taken an apprenticeship and I believe I will excel at it from what I’ve seen so far. I’m willing to stand on my own, not that I’d really have to do that, and we both know it. Severus will help me, support me in any way that he can, and he’ll do it without demanding anything from me. I’ve never wanted your Galleons or your things, father, and I understand that if I do this, I will never receive either. I’m fine with that, really and truly. Cut me out of the inheritance, out of the will, scorch me off of the sodding family tree if you have to! Please, just don’t cut me from your heart. Give everything I was ever to receive to your new heir, just let me be a part of your life - of mother’s and my new sibling’s lives. Please, of everything don’t deny me that.”
Lucius clearly wavered, stepping nearer to his son, his expression unseen to Remus.
“Draco,” Lucius started, his voice smaller than Remus had ever heard it. “I have been hard on you, and I have demanded things of you that you never should have had been asked to give, least of all by me. If you choose to follow through with this, you may no longer be able to be my heir, but you will always and forever remain my son.”
Draco’s mask crumbled and his hand immediately came up to shield his face.
Lucius put his hand on Draco’s shoulder, squeezing tightly.
Draco took a moment and a few deep breaths to steady himself. “I’m still taking Remus with me,” Draco said, steel in his misty eyes, as if on some level he believed this had all been an elaborate hoax.
“Don’t forget to collect Harry Potter on your way out,” Lucius inclined his head to point to the open doorway behind Draco.
Draco swiveled to see Harry standing in the doorway, a perplexed look on his face.
“Of course, father,” Draco stated, his expression only slightly pained upon finding that Harry had heard a single scrap of that conversation, let alone possibly the entire thing. Regardless, he stepped forward and captured Lucius in a brief embrace, which was as uncomfortably returned.
“Take them home, Draco,” Lucius said, sounding suddenly tired, “and take good care of this one,” he indicated Remus. “Come back as you want to or need to, these doors will never be closed to you.”
“Thank you father,” Draco said, visibly humbled. He lifted his chin to say, “Come on,” to Remus and Harry, who silently followed him from the room.
“What the hell was that?” Harry asked.
“I’m fairly certain that was my father setting me free,’ Draco said, his voice thick with emotion.
Harry apparently decided not to press the matter as they went to the front of the manor and Apparated together back to Severus’ house.
Fred was waiting up for them in the kitchen, more correspondence sorted out on the table for them. Teddy was nowhere to be seen and all of the lights in the house were dimmed, so presumably he was already in bed. The elf stood from the table where he had been sitting, going about the process of preparing tea after giving them an obvious once over to confirm they were all in the same state he had last left them in.
Remus sat tiredly at the table, Draco and Harry following his example.
“Can I ask for an explanation now?” Harry asked.
Draco looked at Remus, “I find I would be interested in one myself. What was going on between you and Lucius?”
Remus sighed. “I can’t say that I’m one hundred per cent sure myself. We had quite the discussion and I didn’t bother to hide my distaste for his methods in certain matters. I think that I made him quite angry; or I amused him greatly, I’m having a hard time determining which it was.”
Draco’s face twisted a little as he reluctantly asked, “Did he hurt you?”
Remus shook his head. “No, he didn’t.” He’d been over analyzing the encounter since it had ended. “I think, in some strange way, he was trying to find out about Severus, to determine the nature of our relationship. He implied more than once that Severus was, taken with me or something – I think he wanted to see my reaction to it.”
“Severus hasn’t communicated with him since the trials. Even when he sent word about you and Teddy and requested your wand back, he sent the letter addressed only to mother. He and father were very close before it became known that Severus was really a double agent, and I don’t think that Lucius has ever totally given up on having some kind of relationship with him, even after… well, everything.”
That made sense to Remus. “He made some remarks about Severus that I found disparaging, and I refuted them. I may have suggested that Severus’ allegiance to him in the past was as insincere as his support of Voldemort.” He didn’t know how much Draco knew about the type of relationship his father and Severus used to have, so he didn’t want to go into any unnecessary details.
Draco winced.
“That doesn’t give him the right to assault you!” Harry threw in, apparently unable to keep quiet any longer.
“He didn’t assault me Harry,” Remus assured, not wanting this one confrontation to distance the Malfoys as their allies. “And I knew very well what kind of man he was when I baited him. I know that I shouldn’t have done it, but it did feel rather good.”
“Still, that is no reason to make excuses for him,” Draco said grimly. “He could put everything in jeopardy with this kind of behavior.”
“I do promise to be more polite next time,” Remus grinned tiredly. “It seems that the two of you have patched things up, at least.”
Draco couldn’t help but smile at that, accepting the cup of tea that Fred had just set out for them, walking away and muttering about the poor behavior of Pureblooded Wizards.
“Yes, I didn’t anticipate that, but I can’t say that it wasn’t very welcome.”
Harry looked terribly confused. “It sounded to me like you were just disinherited.”
Draco’s smile never wavered but his slender shoulders shrugged carelessly. “I was. He won’t go back on his word – I won’t get a single thing from him or mother. If that’s all you heard, you missed the point, Potter.”
“So, you’re really going to go through with it? Even the apprenticeship thing?” Harry confirmed.
“Yes, I can do anything I want now,” Draco told him, obviously enjoying the sound of those words very much. “But let’s focus on what we’re trying to accomplish here first, hmm?” He began taking the signed ballots from the Charmed pocket of his robes, handful after handful of them.
Harry whistled as he kept stacking them on the table.
“Impressive,” Malfoy pronounced, looking at the stacks of ballots.
“There are hundreds of them there,” Remus marveled.
“Don’t forget, many of them are signed by house elves,” Draco reminded them.
“How do we know if the Ministry will count them as valid?” Harry asked.
“I’m going to meet with Ackerley tomorrow. He’ll hopefully summarize things for us and inform us of how to proceed from here.”
“I’m free tomorrow and if you don’t mind I’ll come along with you,” Harry said. “I’d like to hear what he all has to say on the matter.”
“Don’t trust me to accurately convey all of the details, or what, Potter?” Draco sneered.
Harry raised his hands defensively. “If I’m going to be part of this, I thought I had to do it wholeheartedly?”
Draco nodded tersely. “Sorry,” he said grudgingly.
Harry dropped his hands and gave him a smile. He thumbed through the mail that was sitting on the table idly, seeing something written on one of the envelopes that made his brow wrinkle.
‘It has my name on it,” he said sounding surprised. “Who would be sending me post here?” he mused out loud, running the scroll through a small barrage of spells to find out more about it – one horrible shock today had been more than enough for everyone involved. Finding nothing he opened the paper and scanned its contents, jaw falling open and his glasses sliding down his nose as he stared at the words written there.
“What is it Harry?” Remus asked, concerned.
“I’ve been indefinitely suspended from the MLE,” he said, sounding stunned. “It says that what I’m doing here is a conflict of interests.” He righted his spectacles.
“I thought that your superior gave you the go ahead,” Draco frowned.
“She did. Her supervisor, however, wasn’t of the same opinion.” Harry set the paper gently down on the table and sat there devoid of expression for a solid minute. “Well, since we’re all free of obligation now, I couldn’t think of a better time to get pissed.”
Draco nodded as if pondering his words carefully. “I see where you’re coming from, but you’re sure you want that to be your first reaction to this?”
“Positive,” Harry smiled crookedly. “If they’re nervous enough to let me go, we must really be concerning them. I’m taking this as a good sign!”
“You’re an intriguing fellow, Potter,” Draco said, “but I can’t say that I find fault with your logic.” He rose and selected a full bottle from over the fridge.
Remus sighed. ‘I’m sorry that happened to you, Harry; you don’t deserve it. I can’t argue with your logic either, but I’m too old and too tired to go along with it myself,” he ended up chuckling.
“You’re going to bed?” Harry asked.
“I think so, all of that walking and standing and public speaking must have taken it out of me. Plus, I’m feeling a little jittery in the wake of that Pepper-Up I took a few hours ago. Don’t let me stop you though, I doubt you’ll be any bother to me all of the way down here. Just don’t forget that this is Severus’ house and you will please treat it accordingly.”
“Yes, Remus,” Harry said dully.
“You’re staying the night?” Remus pressed.
“Erm…”
“Because there is no floo hooked up and I don’t want to hear about you splinching yourself in a drunken attempt to get home.”
“Yes, Remus,” Harry sighed and repeated.
Remus and Draco both rolled their eyes.
“There are enough unused rooms in this house that I think we can manage something,” Draco said. “And if we’re incapable for whatever reason Fred will likely be delighted to help us.”
Remus laughed. “Good luck with that. Good night, boys.”
They both responded in kind. The sound of a cork being popped and Harry asking, “So what was that git at the reception running his mouth about anyway?”
Remus was suddenly glad he was vacating the room. He hoped that Harry had more tact than he privately gave him credit for sometimes, but decided it was out of his hands. Both boys were old enough that they didn’t need his fathering. Well, not overly.
He went to look in on Teddy, finding his bed still neatly made and completely empty. Fear briefly gripped his heart, before he noted that all of the jars and the stuffed dragon were conspicuously absent as well. He crossed the hall to the room that he and Severus shared, finding a child sized lump underneath the blankets of the large bed. Upon closer inspection he found his son sleeping on Snape’s side of the bed, all of the sealer jars lined up on the nightstand beside him and the dragon enfolded under one arm.
A smile appeared on his face at the sight. He couldn’t say that having such company was unwelcomed, as there was no strong desire to be alone burning in his chest. He found himself glad for his son’s proximity, that they might offer one another some comfort while trying to navigate the turbulent waters of their master’s absence.
Remus changed and climbed into bed, allowing the cherubic face of his boy to be the last thing he saw as he closed his eyes. He felt that Severus would approve, and let himself drift into the peace of sleep as quickly as he was able.

A/N: I’m Sorry! And this time I really, really mean it! Insane would be an improvement on the last few months. My dad was diagnosed with cancer just before Christmas and everything has been quite buggered since then.
Still, this story isn’t abandoned! Trying to find time to work on it is tough right now, but I’ll do my best to get you another chapter as soon as possible. I hope someone is still out there to read this one! If so, please let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading and thank you even more for your patience. I hope it was even remotely worth the wait!
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The Long Road