Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A/N at end.
Some Scars Never Fade
WendyNat
Chapter 8
~~~~~~~
"This is pointless," Severus said in a flat voice, frowning. Albus glanced at Shacklebolt, who shrugged. They were in the Headmaster's office discussing the situation. Hestia had been dosed with more sleeping draught at Madam Pomfrey's insistence, and Albus had been able to persuade Remus to join them.
"True, but it's the only lead we have currently," the Auror's deep voice was loud in the silent office.
Sighing deeply, Severus described the knife ceremony. The others listened in rapt silence as the raven-haired wizard spoke. "The knives were all identical, so that won't be of any assistance, either," he finished.
Tonks rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Macnair's dead, Avery too, Goyle Senior is in Azkaban, Nott's dead, Dolohov is in Azkaban, Crabbe Senior is dead, Malfoy Senior is dead, and… Narcissa…" Tonks swallowed at that. She was still a bit shaken at the memory of the hidden room in Malfoy Manor where they had finally found her aunt's body. Narcissa Black Malfoy had killed herself soon after her son was taken into custody following the Final Battle. Before finding the body, Tonks and the others had been sure she had fled – they were checking the Manor house for illegal items and additional evidence for Draco's trial. The last thing Tonks had expected was to find the blonde woman's body in that secret room. "Narcissa is dead."
"Yes," Severus said bleakly. Tonks knew he still blamed himself for Draco's fate – and, in turn, Narcissa's death. She shook her head slightly. There was nothing Severus could have done to change her cousin's path – his father's will had been too strong. And the boy's will too weak.
Albus sighed. "And all of the other members of the Inner Circle suffered similar fates – either dead or in Azkaban."
Kingsley made some notes and commented, "We'll still check it out, investigate the heirs and auction buyers."
Tonks spoke up. "The question is – who would need to use Polyjuice? Why?"
"It must have been someone Hestia could recognize…" Remus said hesitantly. He was interrupted by Snape's snort.
"Not unless Tonks is in league with the attacker, and informed him that Hestia would be at the house. Her name has never been linked to the lycanthropy cure. It's more likely that it's someone that you or I would recognize."
"Or me." Hermione's quiet voice came from the corner where she was seated. Severus looked at her intently and nodded slowly, a guarded look on his face.
"Yes. Or you. Bloody Daily Prophet," Severus growled, standing abruptly and beginning to pace in front of the fireplace. Tonks could see the tension in his body as he moved.
Remus shook his head. His face was still pale from the events of the morning, Tonks noted. "The question is – why? What good would the notes be to anyone? Severus already has a patent on it, so it couldn't be sold even if the person was capable of duplicating the process…"
Hermione cleared her throat hesitantly. "I don't know how noteworthy this is, if at all… but we – Hestia and I, that is - have had someone badgering us to adjust the Manere potion for Polyjuice." Tonks gave her a sharp glance and Hermione shrugged slightly. "Like I said, probably not significant, but it just came into my mind when Hestia recognized the smell… we've received a couple of requests from the same person, anonymous return address, and Hestia just sent the person an owl the other day telling them once and for all that we're not doing it."
Kingsley looked thoughtful. "Anything is possible, Hermione. I'll note it down," he said. "Sometimes a hunch can be significant. Do you have any latent Divination ability?" Hermione snorted loudly, and Severus even smiled at the thought. She shook her head. Kingsley grinned. "Well, you never know."
"Right. Just ask Trelawney."
* * * * * *
Tonks sighed and rubbed her face. She had gone to see Hestia once more before leaving Hogwarts, but the recovering woman had still been asleep. Kingsley had stayed for dinner at Albus' urging – she had tried to appear reluctant when she declined the invitation but she didn't think she had been very successful. It had been a trying day, and she wanted nothing more than to relax with Viktor that night over dinner and play a few games of chess, as they had planned.
Arriving at her flat, she sighed. She couldn't wait until Viktor moved out of Harry's place and got a flat of his own – she had never been very good at cleaning charms and was getting worn out getting her place in order before his visits. Of course, she could try to be a bit neater, she supposed… with a shrug, she opened the front door.
Not too bad, she thought, inspecting the room with a critical eye. Glancing at the clock, she put the chess book down on the counter and straightened up the papers that had spilled onto the floor. Sitting down in her favorite armchair, she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She had questioned Madam Pomfrey thoroughly, and the mediwitch had assured her that that Hestia would be fine, with no lasting effects. As good as new, the mediwitch had said. Tonks had been so scared when she received word of the attack from Kingsley… Ron was still at St. Mungo's, so she had left him a note in his office before speeding after the Head Auror. She hadn't left any details… even in her worried haste she had recognized that a meeting between her partner and Severus Snape wouldn't be in anyone's best interests at the time. Ron still had Snape firmly in the "bad guy" category, and it would take some time for that to change.
A knock on the door interrupted her musings, and she went to answer it quickly. "Viktor!"
"Tonks!" he said with a grin, imitating her mock-surprised tone. They both laughed.
"Come in, sit down for a minute and I'll conjure up dinner."
Viktor followed her into the flat and sat, watching her prepare the meal with a wave of her wand. "Vat has happened?"
Stopping in mid-wave, Tonks turned. "What?"
Viktor stood and walked towards her, touching her cheek lightly. "You look upset, vorried. You haff shadows under your eyes." He leaned on the counter, looking at her intently. "Vat happened?"
She swallowed. "I didn't realize I was that transparent," she commented lightly. It sounded forced, even to her ears. He just remained silent, watching her. Under the quiet regard, she broke down and spoke. "It's been one hell of a day, Viktor," she began, and told him the bare facts of what had occurred with Hestia. By the time she was done, he had coaxed her into the living room and they were both seated on the couch.
"I was so worried…" she said in a shaky voice, shivering slightly. It always hit her like this – after the fact. During a crisis, she was always able to maintain the cool, calm, collected demeanor that every Auror prized… afterwards, however, everything she had suppressed came crashing back. She had had the shakes for a full day after the Last Battle. Better than having them during the battle, I guess, she thought wryly.
She was surprised to feel a warm arm go around her shoulders. Her trembling subsided slightly as she was pulled against the firm chest of Viktor Krum. Grateful, she leaned into him, taking the comfort that he offered, sternly telling her hormones that that was all he was offering.
For his part, he was also having a difficult time convincing his body that he only meant to comfort the woman next to him. She was warm and inviting, her body lean but soft in all the right places, and her hair smelled… That's enough, he thought decisively, firmly steering his mind away from the path it was following.
After a time, she sighed and pulled away, letting her arms drop. He kept one arm draped across her shoulders. "Thanks," she said, smiling shyly. "It always hits me like that – reaction after the fact."
"I understand," he said softly. Their gazes locked, and he cleared his throat hastily, looking away. "She vill be okay?" Tonks nodded. "Good. I haff alvays liked her."
"Oh, have you met – oh, of course. She works with Hermione – I suppose you ran into her at Ministry functions and such."
"Yes. She vas alvays keeping us laughing during the long speeches," he said, smiling slightly at the memory.
Tonks grinned, shaking her head. "Yeah, she's good at that. She almost got me in hot water a few times… I have a hard time holding back when I hear something funny, and she knows it. The wench," she said affectionately.
"I am glad she vill be okay."
"Me, too." She was overly conscious of his arm still over her shoulder, and cleared her throat. "Perhaps we should eat."
Viktor nodded and stood, offering her his hand with a smile. In a short time, they were laughing and talking across the small kitchen table.
"You're insane! Richard Pierce will never be as good of a Keeper as Benjamin Hughes," she said scathingly. "The only one who even comes close is Oliver Wood." Taking a bite of her food, she paused a moment before continuing, "To tell you the truth, I'm surprised Oliver's still playing. He's getting a little old for it, isn't he?"
Viktor gave her a mock scowl. "He is younger than you are, I believe."
"True, but I'm not flying around on a broomstick catching Quaffles and dodging Bludgers, now, am I?" she said, smiling.
"No. You are just chasing bad guys." Viktor looked down at his plate for a moment before raising his eyes to hers. "I vorry, you know."
She was still for a moment. Did he mean… "What do you mean, Viktor?"
"I vorry. About you. Your job is... dangerous. I alvays knew this, but today… if that man had still been there ven you arrived-"
"Then I would have taken care of him. I do know what I'm doing, Viktor," she said softly, curiously touched at his concern. He was flushing a bit, and she felt compelled to reach over and touch the back of his hand, saying, "I'm flattered that you worry, though. Thank you." Smiling slightly, she added, "Try not to worry too much… I don't take unnecessary risks, you know. Especially now – some of the Aurors have gotten… lax… since Voldemort's defeat. I'm not part of that camp. It… in a way, seems to me to be more dangerous for us now."
"In vat vay?"
"Well… it was easier in Voldemort's time – the good guys and bad guys were a little more obvious. Now – the lines are fuzzy. I guess that seems silly – even during Voldemort's reign there were people out with their own agendas… I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say," Tonks said, shaking her head.
Viktor was silent a moment, then said, "I think I understand vat you mean. It is like the needle in a haystack. Many vill get careless after time, ven they get tired of digging, and the needle vill poke their hand because they are not paying attention." Tonks nodded slowly. She truly hadn't expected him to understand. "I… am glad… that you are being careful, even now." He reached over and took one of her hands in both of his. "I vould not vant anything to happen to you, Tonks," he continued in a low voice.
She was entranced by his stare for a minute before she found her voice once more. Smiling slightly, she said, "I wouldn't want anything to happen to me, either… after all – who would teach you chess then?"
* * * * * *
"Why don't you lie down, dear?" Madam Pomfrey said as she passed by the brown-haired man sitting beside her patient's bed. "Feel free to move one of the other cots closer, if you'd like."
Remus just shook his head. "Not right now, Poppy, thank you."
She smiled and put a hand on the man's shoulder. He was beyond tense. "She's going to be fine. Just sleeping off the effects of the potion I gave her." He simply nodded in response, and the mediwitch sighed. "Well, my chambers are right through that door – touch the door and say my name if you need anything, young man."
Remus gave her a weary smile. "I'm hardly a young man anymore, Poppy."
Poppy arched an eyebrow at him. "Hmm. Well, you're young compared to me, aren't you?" Ruffling his hair affectionately, she commanded, "Get some sleep sometime tonight, all right? She'll be waking soon – on that table there's more sleeping draught and some pain potion if she wants either of them. And some dinner – for you both. I'll check on her later."
"Thank you, Poppy," Remus said. The mediwitch nodded to him and left the room. He sat back with a sigh. Poppy meant well, but she could be overbearing at times. He had gotten to know her rather well during his time as a student at Hogwarts – each month she had escorted him to the Shrieking Shack to wait out the full moon. She was one of the few who had, even then, known what he was and accepted him, regardless.
He ran a hand through his hair. Now, with the lycanthropy cure, he would no longer be faced with the same prejudices and harassment that he was accustomed to dealing with. The thought was still strange to him. Living most of his life as a werewolf had been illuminating in many ways – particularly regarding some people's true nature. There were too many people like Fudge, who was perfectly friendly to him now that he had been cured, but before… he just shook his head, grimacing. Even after all of his work with the Order, the Minister had looked at him like a wild beast who should be put down for everyone's safety.
It made him appreciate people like Poppy, who had treated him the same as a werewolf as they did now. Even Severus' dislike of him in the past had more to do with Remus' friendship with Sirius and Potter than his lycanthropy – completely aside from the murderous prank Sirius had pulled. After years working together in the Order, they had become friends – well before he had been cured. Severus had, in fact, worked years on developing the cure.
And now that cure had resulted in injury to someone he loved.
"Remus?" Hestia's quiet voice, raspy from too much sleep, reached his ears. He immediately left the chair and knelt beside the bed.
"How do you feel?" he asked, handing her the glass of water.
She smiled, sitting up slowly. He readjusted the pillows behind her. "I've been worse," she commented wryly. Taking a long swallow, she gave a satisfied sigh. "I'll feel more human once I've eaten. The remains of that damned sleeping draught is still in my mouth – tastes like a week-old fish."
Remus chuckled and brought the food over. They both ate, Remus casting appraising glances at her every few minutes. Finally, she rolled her eyes at him and snarled, "I'm fine, Remus – relax, man! You're making me tense."
"Sorry. I just…"
"It's okay. I'd feel the same way if it was you in this bed. But honestly, I feel perfectly fine. And I'll tell you something else - there's no way I'm staying in this bed until tomorrow night," she said with a slight scowl. He knew she was irritated, but the scowl made her look like she was pouting and it was unbelievably… cute. Unable to help himself, he leaned over and kissed her on the tip of her nose. Her eyes narrowed, and the cute look vanished.
Yep – definitely irritated now, he thought, smiling to himself. If she was feeling well enough to get angry with him then he felt satisfied that she was all right.
"Something strike you as amusing?"
With a smirk, he answered, "You're cute when you're angry." She growled at him and threw back the sheets, moving stiffly as she stood. Instantly he was by her side. "Do you need help?" he asked, grasping her arm.
"No, you tosser – I'm just stiff from being force-fed sleeping potions for an obscenely long amount of time. And I need to use the loo," she said, shaking off his arm. Hiding his smile, he followed her at a discreet distance as she made her way across the room to the bathroom. He waited outside until she was finished.
The door to the bathroom slowly cracked open, and he was greeted by a pair of bright blue eyes gleaming at him mischievously. He cocked his head curiously, and she smiled, opening the door fully. His throat went dry.
She had removed the hospital gown and was standing before him, gloriously naked. He was frozen with shock, and she took advantage of this - grabbing his arm and pulling him into the bathroom with her, shutting and warding the door behind him. "I feel amazingly… energetic… after all that sleep," she purred into his ear, and he felt himself responding immediately.
"Indeed," he said, raising an eyebrow. Then, in a more serious tone, he said, "I don't want to hurt you. Are you sure-"
He was cut off by her lips crushing his, her tongue pushing its way into his mouth. He moaned against her mouth, bringing his arms up around her to press her to him. She clung to him fiercely, every possible inch of skin in contact with him. With an irritated noise, she stepped back for a moment and grabbed her wand from the counter. Two short words later, Remus was as naked as she was.
With a devilish grin, she murmured, "Oh, yes, I am sure."
And then she proved it.
~~~~~
Some time later, when they returned to the bed, they were surprised to see it had been transfigured – it was now wide enough for them both to sleep on. "Who…" Hestia began before he cut her off with a laugh.
"Look," he said, pointing to the note on the bedside table. It was in Poppy's handwriting.
I'm glad to know you're feeling better, Miss Jones. From the sounds of it, you'll both be ready for a full night's sleep, so I took the liberty of transfiguring the bed appropriately.
~M. Pomfrey
P.S. Next time, do try and remember the silencing charms.
* * * * * *
Hermione closed the study door slowly, watching the man sitting in front of the fireplace. She had stayed behind for a few minutes to finish putting away her supplies in the lab, telling Severus to go ahead back to their chambers and get some tea ready. From the looks of things, he hadn't yet begun that task. He was staring into the flames, brow furrowed in thought. She had a good idea what he was thinking about.
"Severus?"
Without looking at her, he drew his wand from his sleeve and conjured up a teapot and two cups. She was a bit surprised – he had always complained that conjured tea didn't taste as good as naturally brewed… she couldn't tell the difference, but she had never bothered to argue the point. Moving closer, she gave him a tentative smile. "Finally bending the rules on tea brewing, Professor Snape? And I thought you were a man of conviction."
He snorted, but otherwise didn't respond to her teasing. Sitting on the edge of his chair, she slid her arms around his shoulders. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"It could have been you," he said in a quiet, carefully controlled voice. He still had not turned away from the flames. She didn't know how to respond – after all, he was right. It very well could have been her. Not that that would be any worse than it being Hestia, though the other woman certainly had more dueling experience than she did. Deciding that no answer was better than hollow words, she moved to sit in his lap and snuggled against him, gratified when his arms came around to hold her close to his chest.
"I don't want you wandering around alone. Your name is all over the place, connected to both of these potions…" His voice was like steel, hard and unwavering.
She sighed and snuggled in a little closer. How to approach this one? Deciding to resist commenting on his authoritative tone, she said, "What about you? Your name is all over the lycanthropy cure, Severus. Kingsley seems to think the attacker would be particularly interested about the DNA process… you're the one who developed it, the only one who truly understands it. I'm worried about you, too."
"I can take care of myself, Hermione."
"Oh, but I can't?" Hermione said, sitting upright and glaring at him. It didn't have quite the intended effect since she was still perched on his lap, so she got up and stood in front of him. He was scowling.
"I didn't say that," he protested, sitting up straight, his hands clenching the armrests.
Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't have to. It's obvious what you were implying." She put her hands on her hips, and Severus winced. She didn't realize it, but she looked just like Molly Weasley preparing to deliver one of her famous lectures.
"Wait. Please," he said, holding up a hand and fixing her with a steely gaze. "Before you continue with your histrionics, attempt to put that much-vaunted mind of yours to use. Who presents an easier target – an ex-Death Eater who survived the Final Battle, or a young ex-Gryffindor witch who survived her NEWTs?"
Her face went white. Jaw clenched with the strength of her emotions, she hissed through her teeth, "Don't you dare throw that in my face, Snape. I would have been there, standing beside Harry, if he had told me when it was going to be. I wanted to be there, but he kept me from it." Her jaw unclenched, and she continued in a louder voice, "Oh, he had no problem coming to me beforehand to get my advice on different ways to defeat the bastard, but when it came time to actually attack I was kept in the background. He knew when it would be, and he didn't even bloody tell me! No one did, not Harry, not Ron…" By the end of her speech, she was shouting.
"Did you honestly expect them to, Hermione? You would have been a liability!"
"How dare you, you bastard!" she yelled, backing away from him as he stood and advanced on her.
Grabbing her upper arms and holding her in place, he moved his face close to hers. In a low, calm voice he said, "Listen to me, Hermione. You are extremely talented. In terms of pure talent and skill with a wand, you would have been an asset on the battlefield – no one is denying that. But you would have been a liability." He squeezed her arms for emphasis. "A distraction. They – we - would have tried to protect you, a part of our minds always on your safety, and any kind of distraction could have meant our deaths." He pulled her towards him, enfolding her in his arms, and this time she did not move away. "And now… if I lose you… I will not long survive you." She trembled at his words. They were sincere, of that she had no doubt. But didn't he understand that she felt the same way?
Tilting her head up with a finger under her chin, he whispered, "Do you understand, now? This situation… you're a target. We're all targets, yes, but you're the one I'm worried about. You. Are. My. Life. Please swear to me that you will be careful." Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss.
She sighed when the kiss ended. Damn it. When did I stop being angry at him? "You win." Opening her eyes, she looked up at him. "But you need to be careful, too. Big Bad Ex-Death Eater or not."
He smiled slightly at her choice of words, and brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek before pulling her back against his chest. "I will," he said, his voice rumbling under her ear.
They stood there for long moments, enjoying the warmth of their embrace. Finally, she asked in a whisper, "Would I have been that much of a distraction, really?"
"You are always a distraction," he murmured, holding her tight. All of a sudden, he tensed as her hand began to roam and she pulled away enough to gaze up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. "Insolent wench," he said in the silky voice that drove her mad.
His own hands began to roam, and he soon had her gasping and weak-kneed. Gods… pulling back, she began to attack the fastenings on the crisp white shirt he was wearing, kissing each section of newly exposed skin as she worked her way down the long line of buttons.
Once his shirt was unbuttoned, she grasped both sides of it and pulled him with her as she backed up to the couch. When she felt her knees hit, she grinned playfully and gave a yank, pulling him down on top of her as she fell onto the cushions. Sliding her hands along his back, underneath his shirt, she ran her fingers along the multitude of crisscrossing scars – a legacy of his dark past. The skin was smooth and warm between the scars, his wiry muscles sliding underneath the skin in a sensuous movement.
His lips were on her neck, and she arched her head back to allow him greater access, letting out a contented sigh. The sigh became a gasp as she suddenly felt his hands on her body, exploring. Sitting back to kneel before her on the couch, he pulled her clothes off slowly and deliberately. "Do you realize how beautiful you are?" he whispered before leaning back down to kiss her thoroughly, and she felt herself surrender to him completely.
Later, as they lay there in the warm aftermath, she stroked his hair as their breathing slowed. Neither moved.
"I can't lose you," he choked out, his head buried against her neck. His breath was hot and unsteady against her skin, and she tightened her arms around him.
"You won't," she whispered back. "I'll be careful."
Lifting his head and pinning her eyes with his gaze, he whispered harshly, "Make sure of it."
______________________________________________________________
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! All you Remus fans should be happy that he finally got some "action" in this fic… I know you've been waiting ;). As always, review! All feedback is welcome!
DagginLady – This fic is just for fun, not for a challenge. Thanks for the review!!
Onesnowyowl – Thanks – I'm glad you're liking it!
Lizzie – Thanks ;).
Electryone – Congrats on the Polyjuice guess ;). I have most of the story well mapped out, so it's mainly just dialogue that I have to put together for each update… and once some of my characters start talking they don't want to stop… I guess that's how I'm updating so quickly! More Herm/Sev romance here… and some Viktor/Tonks and Remus/Hestia – goodness. People in my fics get MUCH more action than I do! LOL!
Louise Luvgood – Thanks so much for your reviews – I always love to read them! Only one plot-related comment I'll allow myself – I don't want you to think I put the Narcissa info in this chapter as a response to your hypothesis… it was mentioned in Chapter 2 during Sev's discussion of his scar that Narcissa killed herself after Draco was taken to Azkaban. I just didn't want you to think I killed her off because you named her as a possible :). I'm really enjoying your guesses and discussions – I could almost write another couple of stories from plotbunnies you're giving me! If I do, I'll be sure to check with you first.
Queen Li – Thanks for your review!
Klyn – Thanks for the review – I think there will definitely be a run-in with Justin before the end of the fic ;).
