A/N: Characters and world property of JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended.
Sweet baby Jesus, y'all! I thought I'd updated this a couple weeks ago!
Also if anyone is interested, I'm on Facebook as Zorak TwentyThree.
Beta Love: ambiguousgoldfish, the best beta in the world
Of Blacks and Boarhounds
By Zorak23
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Honestly, Harry. He said it's their version of foreplay, not the fourth game. Don't you read?"
All four adults turned shocked faces towards the girl, who clapped her hands over her mouth when her mind caught up to what she had just said. Suddenly, Severus started laughing. His rich, dark chocolate laughter filled the room as David's strangled voice said, "And just what have you been reading, young lady?"
Chapter Fifty Eight
July 7, 1992
Severus was still chuckling as he apparated Lulabelle and Harry back to Grimmauld Place. The trio had been given permission to leave from the Grangers' living room as opposed to the designated apparition point in Heathgate, making their return trip that much easier.
"See? Ya did have fun!" Lulabelle exclaimed, poking Severus in the ribs. It had taken her a bit to regain her equilibrium upon landing in the receiving room.
"I wouldn't go that far," Severus replied. "I simply find enjoyment in the mortification of others," he smirked.
Harry snickered at his response while Lulabelle rolled her eyes. "I still don't know what foreplay is," the boy pointed out.
"Since your nanny is the one who brought it up in the first place, you may ask him about it tomorrow," Severus quipped, making Lulabelle snort with laughter. "Be sure to tell him exactly why it came up at the Grangers, as well."
"Speakin' of," Lulabelle said as the trio walked towards the living room, "What happened to make Hermione wanna come to the trial?"
Harry blanched and said darkly, "We should have let Ron smash Scabbers."
Severus stopped walking and turned towards Harry. "Explain. Now."
The boy looked up at the tall man and with anger and disgust evident on his face, said, "Apparently he's been sneaking into the girls' showers and perving on them!"
"I. Beg. Your. Pardon," Severus hissed, each word seething with unbridled rage. "Repeat that, if you would, Mister Potter, because I believe I heard you say that a grown man has been using his animagus form to view young ladies in various states of undress for the last several years. A grown man that we currently have housed within this very residence. Would that be correct?"
"Yes! That's exactly what I—" Harry's wildly waving arms and loud affirmations were suddenly cut off by Lulabelle's shout for her house elf.
"Kreacher!"
"Yes, Missy Alula?" Kreacher answered when he popped into the hallway where they were still standing.
"No matter what I say from this point on, don't get that rat outta the magic safe 'til he's needed for Sirius' trial at the ministry. This is a Head of House order. That understood?"
"Yes, Missy Alula," and with that, he popped away.
Severus straightened, a cool mask slipping over his face to hide the hurt caused by her assumption that he would force her to hand over the despicable being. Harry simply looked at her, confused.
When Lulabelle noticed the boy's expression, she grimaced and said, "I was afraid that if y'all kept talkin', I'd have Kreacher take him out so I could smash him myself." The corner of Severus' mouth quirked up, the only evidence that showed of his relief, and he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "Let's go on in and sit down. I wanna hear exactly what all Hermione told ya, sugar. No sense standin' in the hall to do it," she finished.
The other two nodded in agreement, and they made their way to the sitting room to take up their now familiar places: Severus and Lulabelle on the smaller settee and Harry crammed into the corner of the larger couch, which was as much room as Sinaka allowed him. The boy wriggled around, trying to get comfortable in the small space, before finally giving up when a giant head dropped in his lap and pinned him in place. With a sigh, he scratched behind the beast's ears, grinning widely when Sinaka moaned in pleasure. Harry continued to rub the dog's ears as he gathered his thoughts.
"Sugar? What did Hermione tell ya?" Lulabelle asked gently.
"I'd told her what hap— er, well, I told her why I live with you now," he started, and Lulabelle nodded encouragingly. "And I told her about having a godfather, and how we're getting him a trial, and finding Pettigrew. And I told her he's a rat animagus." He stopped to take a breath. "She—she asked me how we found him, Pettigrew, I mean. She wanted to know how we'd found the rat. Then as a joke, she said she supposed it didn't really matter where we'd found him, as long as he wasn't Scabbers because they, the girls in Gryffindor I mean, they kept finding him in the girls' showers." His eyes filled, and he swiped at them angrily. "She was just having a laugh, and it turned out to be true. He perved on my best friend!"
Severus was holding himself completely rigid as he sat next to Lulabelle. He'd already admonished himself for the tone of voice he'd used a few minutes earlier, but thankfully the boy had been so swept up in his own anger that seeing Severus' hadn't affected him. Now, however, with Harry on the verge of tears, he carefully moderated his inflection before speaking.
"Harry, before we pick apart everything you've just said, I want to make one thing quite clear. None of this is your fault. I don't want you to blame yourself for the actions of others in general, but most certainly not for the actions of a perverted coward. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, wiping his eyes once more. "It's just that, if I hadn't…"
"If ya hadn't what, sugar?" Lulabelle asked. "If ya hadn't been born at all? I'm pretty sure Pettigrew is older than you are, seein' as how he's the same age as your folks and all. Ya aren't the one who made him what he is. Ya had nothin' at all to do with it. Now, did Hermione say anything else?"
Harry grinned slightly at Lulabelle's matter-of-fact reassurance, and the way she apparently considered the matter closed. "She said she'd write down a list tonight of all the girls she's heard complain about Scabbers in the showers, and owl it to me in the morning. She reckoned we'd need it for the trial." He looked up at the pair, then, before adding, "She doesn't want her parents to know about it. She's afraid they won't let her come back to school."
"I'll speak with them," Severus said. "They deserve to know what is happening with their child. Too many times I have seen muggle-born students not able to inform their parents of the goings on at Hogwarts, and it creates a rift in their families." He held up a placating hand when Harry tried to protest his decision. "If they cannot handle the news, I'll remove it from their memories. I will not, however, allow this to be swept under the rug. Miss Granger may very well need someone to speak to about this; it has been quite a violation of her person, and she may wish her mother's counsel."
"I—I didn't think about that," Harry admitted softly.
"That's fine, sugar. You're just a kid; ya shouldn't have to be thinkin' 'bout stuff like this at all, much less makin' decisions about it," Lulabelle said with a soft smile for the boy.
"She also wanted to know if Scabbers—if Pettigrew would be sentenced at Sirius' trial or not. I'm supposed to ask and send the answer with Hedwig in the morning, so that she can owl her list back to us," Harry said hesitantly. "She asked me, but I told her I wasn't sure how it all works."
Lulabelle looked to Severus for the answer, as she had no idea either. Severus sighed and said, "Usually, the answer would be no. However, I suspect that due to the nature of his crimes, as well as the presence of the Weasleys and possibly the Grangers, he will be sentenced immediately after testifying. Most likely to the Kiss."
"Do ya really think so, Lou?" Lulabelle said, surprised.
Severus raised a brow as he looked down at her. "When I present them with a list of every female Gryffindor student present in the castle from the time Percy Weasley first brought that foul creature to the castle, along with a list of every single female, be they student, staff, or guest, during that same time period? Yes. I should think so. There is no guarantee that the rat stayed in Gryffindor Tower the entire time he was in residence."
"Might oughta get a list of at least the boys in Percy's and Ron's dorm rooms, as well. Whether he was actively lookin' at 'em or not, he was definitely there when they were changin', too. Plus all the people that were there when he was a student. He coulda started peepin' as soon as he managed the animagus transformation. Probably before that, even."
"They should just let Mr Weasley and Mr Granger smash him, then. Save the dementors a trip," Harry muttered darkly. Severus and Lulabelle stared at the boy for a moment, shocked, then Severus snorted.
"Perhaps they could take turns?" he suggested. "Rather like whack-a-mole?"
Harry snickered at the thought. "Yeah, that would work. Then maybe Ron and I could have a go, too."
Trying and failing to sound stern, Lulabelle said, "Well, if were done discussin' beatin' someone to death, I think it's probably time for bed."
"But it is ever so much fun," Severus said in a monotone, making Harry giggle.
Lulabelle watched Severus' reflection in the mirror as he added a handful of herbs to the bath water, then poured in the contents of a potion bottle as well. "Mm, that sure smells nice," she told him.
Severus quirked a small smile and said, "I thought we could do with some added relaxation after this evening's revelations, sweet witch." He quickly stripped off his clothing and stepped into the large, claw foot tub, resting against the high back that was at one end. He sighed in pleasure as the herbs and the potion worked their magic, and waited for Lulabelle as she finished pinning up her hair to keep it out of the water.
He offered her his hand as she stepped inside, then wrapped his long arms around her nude form, settling her gently between his legs with her back pressed to his front. They sat together for several moments in silence, then Severus picked up a natural sponge from shelf on the wall, and said, "Hand me your bath potion over there; I'll wash your back for you."
Lulabelle couldn't hold back a snort. "It's shower gel, Lou, not a potion. It's just liquid soap."
"It smells of lavender, chamomile, and neroli, all of which have magical properties. It's a potion," he disagreed, hiding his grin behind her head.
"Alright, ya silly man. Here ya go," she replied, handing him the bottle of shower gel with a smile. She allowed him to gently scrub her back with the soapy sponge, then relaxed back against him when he began to wash her arms. He was exceedingly thorough, making sure to scrub between each finger, before moving on to wash her chest. She raised her arms, resting them on his shoulders behind her, to give him better access. As he gently ran the sponge repeatedly around her breasts, she realized he wasn't caressing her so much as he was… playing? "Lou?" she asked.
"Hrm?" came the reply.
"Whatcha doin'?"
Severus jerked ever so slightly at her question. "Er, I was…"
"Yesss…?" Lulabelle drawled.
"They float," he said, embarrassed.
Lulabelle snickered. "They do that," she replied. "Buoyancy, ya know."
"I was not aware that they would float," he said flatly.
Lulabelle turned over, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him on the end of the nose. "Just wait'll I take ya skinny dippin'. They'll really float, then," she said with a laugh.
Severus pulled her tightly against him and lowered his mouth to hers. She could feel him hardening beneath her, and just as she was about to reach for his length, he surprised her by abruptly standing up with her still in his arms. Summoning his wand, he Vanished the water in the tub, dried them both, then stepped out and carried her to the bed.
Their lovemaking was slow and gentle this evening, neither one craving their usual frenzied pace after the startling revelations from earlier that evening. When both had been brought to completion, they lay together in each other's arms, content to just lay quietly.
After a time, Severus asked, "Did you mean it when you said you were afraid you would smash Pettigrew yourself?"
"Huh?" came Lulabelle's confused reply.
"I had thought, perhaps, you were worried I would be the one to kill him."
"Don't be ridiculous, Lou. Ya can't even get him outta the safe."
Severus sighed, and tucked her head under his chin so that he could speak without being seen. "I know you are aware that there are ways for wizards to force—"
"You stop right there, mister," Lulabelle demanded, pushing away from his chest and sitting up in the bed so she could look down into his eyes. "You are a good man. I know just as well as you do that ya wouldn't do such a thing, and I don't wanna hear ya say another word about it."
The corner of Severus' mouth quirked up in a small grin. "My apologies, sweet witch."
"Hrmph," was all she said when she laid back down next to him, snuggling up to his chest.
Severus smiled fully now that she was unable to see his face again, and pulled her tightly to him. "Thank you, Lulabelle," he said softly.
Lulabelle smiled as well, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.