Standard disclaimer still applies.
AN: Thanks for the reviews. They help to keep me writing.
Chapter 48 Games People Play
Games people play,
You take it or you leave it
Things that they say, Just don't make
it right
If I'm telling you the truth right now, Do you believe
it
Games people play in the middle of the night
The Alan Parson Project "Games People Play"
Remus and Amber returned to her home after attending the reception for Alexis and Snape. They hadn't stayed very long as Amber had become disgusted by the way most of the other guests were treating Remus. Even though he was a pureblood, his family was not wealthy, neither were they socially prominent or politically well connected.
Remus was too used to such treatment to be bothered by it, but it touched him that Amber was offended on his behalf, "We didn't get a chance to dance."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Amber demanded.
"Because, after twenty odd years you can get used to almost anything From the moment I laid eyes on you in that gown, I've been looking forward to dancing with you," with a flick of his wand soft, slow music began playing. He pulled her into his arms and they began to sway to the music. His hand was warm on the bare skin at her waist.
"So you like the dress?" she teased as she played with his hair.
He grinned wolfishly at her, "I suppose you could say that," he pulled her closer so that she could feel exactly how much he liked the dress.
"Hmmm, is that your wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
"If you are a good girl I may let you find out for yourself," Remus smiled.
"What will I get if I am a bad girl?" Amber asked suggestively.
"Anything your little heart desires," Remus leaned down to kiss her.
Amber felt a cool brush of air. Breaking the kiss she saw that Remus had been a very busy boy. He had undone the clasp that held her top together in the front and was easing the bodice of her dress off. Amber decided to cheat, with flick of her wand, she had Remus dancing in nothing but a smile. He was concentrating on removing Amber's clothes so it took a moment for him to feel the draft.
"I see you have decided to go for bad girl," he growled.
Amber just smiled at him wickedly as she rubbed against him. He closed his eyes at the delicious friction against his already overheated body. A few quick moves and Amber was standing there in nothing but a thong, thigh high stockings and her high heels, "This is a good look on you," Remus smiled his appreciation stepping back to get the full effect before pulling her back into his arms.
Amber shivered as she felt the rough hair on his chest abrade her nipples causing them to bead. Remus' hands had slipped around her waist and now rested on her bottom. Using his thumb he snapped the elastic on her thong making her jump.
Amber shot him a dirty look before retaliating by pulling the hair on his chest.
"Ouch," he complained as he continued to squeeze her butt.
"Well then, don't," before she could finish he had popped the elastic again, "snap my knickers," she gritted out.
"There is a simple solution to this problem," Remus said as his thumb slid under the elastic again.
"Yes, you can stop," there was a sharp snapping noise, "snapping my knickers."
"Or we can just take them off," this time Remus hooked both thumbs under the elastic and began to tug them over her hips.
"That is a viable alternative," Amber agreed as she stepped out of them.
Before she could kick off her shoes, Remus stopped her, "I find this look very appealing," as he urged her over to the couch. Stretching out on it, he pulled her on top of him and filled his hands with her breasts.
Amber sat there for a moment looking at him. She was straddling his lap and he was pressed firmly against the apex of her thighs. Remus looked up at her, "Yes?" and leaned his head up so that he could begin suckling on her breast. Releasing the nipple with a low popping noise, "Carry on: don't just sit there" and he returned to nibbling on her nipples.
Amber stared at him for a moment in surprise and then a wicked smile graced her lips as she began rubbing back and forth across his erection making sure to hit her clitoris with the head of his penis over and over again. She leaned forward for a better angle and braced herself with a hand on the arm of the couch. This also allowed Remus better access to her body as his hands began to stroke her back and squeeze her bottom.
Remus' hands grabbed her waist and lifted her easily and to her complete surprise managed to gain entry without using his hands to position anything, "No hands, impressive," she gasped against his lips before tracing them with her tongue.
He opened his mouth to allow her tongue inside and they tasted each other. He lifted her again in an unmistakable hint to get on with it. Amber was so hot and achy with need she needed no other encouragement and they soon joined in a rhythm that had them both moaning in pleasure. Amber sat up, arched back and braced her hands on his thighs as they continued the pounding thrusts. Remus reached a hand between her thighs and began stroking her, urging her to climax. As he felt her passage gripping him in wave after wave he allowed himself to finally experience his own release.
Amber rested on top of Remus, wondering if she were to heavy for him, but then deciding she really didn't care.
"Monday, April 25," Remus whispered quietly as if he hoped she would not be listening.
Amber immediately knew to what he was referring, "I'll be here," she said and placed kisses on his shoulder as he tightened his arms around her.
The holidays were over and classes had started again. Snape entered his rooms to see if Alexis wanted to go to lunch in the Great Hall. He found her curled in a ball on the couch with tears running down her cheeks and crumpled tissues littering the floor.
"Alexis are you ill?"
She just shook her head sadly and held out her arms to him.
Snape settled next to her and she climbed into his lap and put her head on his shoulder while she sniffed loudly. He handed her another tissue.
"Did you get bad news, Alexis?"
She shook her head again and dabbed at her eyes with the new tissue and then noisily blew her nose and handed the moist paper to Snape who gingerly took it between two fingers and dropped it on the floor with the others. Waving his wand he vanished the mess.
"Is something hurting, are you feeling pain?"
She slowly nodded while staring off into space.
"Where does it hurt?"
Alexis tapped her chest.
"If your chest hurts, we need to get you to the hospital," Snape said preparing to stand up.
Alexis shook her head and finally spoke, "Its not that kind of pain."
"What type of pain is it then?" Snape was losing his patience.
"Severus it is so sad," Alexis sobbed into his robes.
"Alexis tell me what is going on?" Snape demanded.
"They are going to grow up and go away and then what will I do?" Alexis continued to cry.
"Who?" Snape was rubbing her back awkwardly.
"Nat and Al, who else would I be talking about?" Alexis leaned back to look at him accusingly.
"You are crying because our sons who are not even born yet will eventually grow up and move away?" Snape was desperately trying to understand.
Alexis nodded her head as she rested on his shoulder.
Handing her another tissue, Snape took a deep breath, "First off you will always have me and secondly the boys will love their mother very much and will come back to visit often."
"You really think so?" Alexis looked up at him hopefully.
"Yes I do, even after they get married and have families of their own, they will still love their mother and want to see her everyday," Snape assured her.
Alexis burst into tears again, "That is so sweet."
Snape decided on trying a different tack, "Alexis I heard that the house elves made chocolate mousse for dessert."
Alexis hiccupped once and stopped crying, "Really?"
Snape was looking grim. It was Saturday morning and today's Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin would decide which house won the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin had held the cup for the last eight years and Snape had no desire to lose it. He had never been so glad to see a student graduate as he was to see Charlie Weasley leave. Once Charlie had graduated, none of the other houses had been able to compete with Slytherin's Quidditch team.
Snape knew that it was only due to a series of fortunate, for Slytherin, events that Gryffindor had not won the cup the past two years. Potter was as good if not better than Charlie Weasley. Gryffindor would have to win the game by more two hundred points in order to win the cup.
Alexis sat next to Severus on the front row of the Slytherin stands surrounded by a sea of green. Silver serpents were flying on green flags and two hundred people were screaming their support for their house team in defiance of the other three houses who were cheering for Gryffindor.
Alexis sat back and watched one of the fiercest Quidditch matches of the few she had ever seen. She cheered with the rest of the Slytherins when Flint managed to score a goal, leaving Slytherin trailing by twenty points.
Snape's face seemed carved in stone when Gryffindor managed to bring their lead to sixty points.
Alexis couldn't believe it when she saw Draco grabbing hold of Harry's Firebolt to slow him down and make him lose the snitch. Her eyes widened as she heard Lee Jordan's commentary turn decidedly blue. She could just make out Amber's shocked face and wondered exactly what Minerva was saying as she shook her fist at Draco, she would have to remember to ask Amber later. It might prove to be valuable blackmail material in case Minerva got too obnoxious when her house won the cup.
The game got decidedly dirty from that point on. Alexis watched as all the Slytherin team except for Draco headed to block the Gryffindor player, Angelina Johnson. Searching the skies for Draco she saw him streaking for the snitch. Alexis couldn't help but wish that this one little, insignificant thing might change without effecting the future, that Draco could beat Harry Potter just this once and that Snape could keep the cup another year. She was rooting Draco on when a blur flew by and began catching up with Draco. Harry knocked Draco's outstretched arm out of the way and caught the snitch. The other three fourth of the Quidditch stands erupted in cheers. Alexis slipped her arm through Snape's and gave it a squeeze as he helped her to her feet and down out of the stands.
Snape was impressed with Amber's determination to master the Wolfsbane potion. She had been working with him for two months now and had the first two stages down: it was the third and final stage that kept giving her problems. No matter what she did or how often she tried, her potion refused to thicken: it remained a thin runny mess completed unsuited for any use.
Snape was sitting with her carefully watching every step she made as she attempted to complete the third stage for the fourth time that afternoon. "Let it sit for thirty minutes and then we will determine if you were successful on this attempt," Snape advised.
Amber stood up and stretched and her back made a loud series of popping noises. She had been bent over the cauldron for the last hour. "Did you see any place where I may have gone wrong?"
"From what I saw you made no mistakes; however, the proof will be in the finished potion," Snape answered.
Amber took the cauldrons containing her other three failed attempts and poured them all into one. Taking the two empty cauldrons over to the sink, she tapped the stone gargoyle that was gushing icy water out of its mouth and steam began to rise from the suddenly hot water, "I think it is cruel that you make the students try to clean their cauldrons with cold water," she teased.
"If they are too lazy to learn a heating charm, that is not my concern," Snape replied snidely.
"I hadn't thought of it that way," Amber grinned. They had come to an understanding. The subject of Remus Lupin was totally off limits. Amber wouldn't listen to Snape bad mouth him and Snape wouldn't listen to Amber sing his praises. So far it had worked, allowing the two to continue with the lessons.
Deciding to keep busy as the best way to pass the time until the potion would be ready for testing, Amber began to gather the implements they had used and take them over to the sink. Whatever left over potion ingredients that could not be saved and reused, she just tossed into the cauldron that now contained her first three failed attempts.
She had just finished cleaning the last pestle and mortar when Snape told her it was time to check her potion. Drying her hands on her robes, she hurried over to where he was testing it. A slight smirk slid across Snape's face, "It appears as if you have finally managed to prepare the potion correctly," as it steamed gently from the cauldron, "would you like to take a dose with you when you leave?"
Amber was doing a happy dance around the room, "I did it! I did it! I really, really did it!" She added a bump and a shimmy to the dance as she pumped her fist in the air, "Who's the potion princess? I'm the potion princess!"
Alexis walked in at this junction and Amber grabbed her hands and tried to get her to dance with her, "I'm the potions princess," cha cha cha, "I'm the potions princess," cha, cha, cha.
"I take it you got it right this time?" Alexis laughed as she tried to disengage herself from the wildly celebrating witch.
Amber hugged her and laughed, "On the fourth try I finally got it," and she took off dancing around the room again.
Snape came over and began to rub the small of Alexis' back causing her to groan in relief, "How did you know my back was hurting?"
"You are six months pregnant with twins, your back is always hurting," he smirked.
Just then her robes jumped.
"What was that?" Snape asked.
"That was one of your sons expressing his displeasure at his father being mean to his mother," Alexis deadpanned.
"Well if he thinks it is mean of me to rub your back, who am I to argue," Snape moved as if to stop the massage and Alexis robes rippled and she let out a soft oomph.
"I don't think they appreciated that at all," Alexis stroked her belly as if to sooth the restless babies.
Amber had cha cha'd her way over to the cauldron she had been using as a garbage container. She was still so excited about getting the potion right that she didn't even think about a simple evanesco charm to clean this last thing and was lugging the full pot over to the sink. There was a loud clang and a few choice swear words that had Snape and Alexis looking over in concern.
Amber was coated in the contents of the cauldron from eyebrows to elbows. Snape hurried over to her. He tried waving his wand but was unable to remove the sticky substance, "You need to go wash immediately. You can use our bathroom," he urged Amber in the direction of the bath while Alexis lumbered along as quickly as she could.
Alexis joined Amber in the bathroom bringing her some clean clothes to borrow. The potion had dripped and ran until it had left trails down her legs and across her butt. It took three shampooings and a good scrub before all the potion came off.
Amber stepped out of the shower and Alexis was grinning as she handed her a towel, "I have to ask, who is Tota?"
"What?"
"The tattoo on your bum says Tota. I was wondering who he is?" Alexis explained.
"The tattoo is supposed to say Totally Awesome," Amber tried to see her butt in the mirror which obligingly elongated to full length, "What the hell? Where's the rest of my tattoo?" Amber was shifting and turning as if the tattoo might reappear, "And what happened to the scar I got when I fell off my broom the summer I turned thirteen?" Instead of one long scar on her left leg, there were two smaller ones separated by a two inch area of perfectly healed skin.
Amber started examining every inch of her skin she could see and anywhere the potion had touched was not scar and blemish free. It had even removed freckles, she was practically dancing in her excitement, "I've got to go show Severus," she said heading for the bathroom door.
Alexis grabbed her arm to stop her, "Not like that, put on some clothes girl."
Amber looked down and blushed a brilliant shade of red as she grabbed the clothes Alexis held out for her.
"Ahh, I think it is so cute that you can still blush," Alexis teased.
Amber stuck her nose in the air, grabbed her clothes that were still covered in goop and headed into the other room hollering, "Severus Snape, get in here!"
Snape looked up from the papers he was reading, "No need to raise your voice I am in the same room."
"You won't believe what that stuff did," Amber hurried over and stuck her leg up on his desk, "See these two scars? Well it used to be one long scar, but the potion healed it. And it removed part of my tattoo."
Alexis called from the door, "Stop right there. He will just have to take my word for it."
"Spoil sport," Amber pouted.
Snape looked from one woman to the other wondering where Amber's partially removed tattoo might be.
"Never mind Severus, let it suffice that you had better never see her tattoo," Alexis made her way over to where he was sitting.
"Can you get a sample from her clothes and recreate the potion?" Alexis asked.
Snape got up and helped her into a chair before replying, "Maybe, then it will have to be tested, but it does look promising. Amber, I need you to try to remember everything you put into the cauldrons and the order you added them."
Amber sighed as she took the parchment and quill he held out to her. She obediently sat down and started writing out what she could remember while Snape took her robes back into the Potions classroom to see if he could salvage any of the potion. When he came back he had two large beakers full, "There was a fair amount still in the caldron," he explained.
Amber handed him the parchment and the two sat down to go over their find. Alexis smiled at them before lying down on the couch to catch a nap.
Remus opened the door to his quarters and allowed Amber to come in. Closing it behind her he locked and warded it. Remus looked flushed and feverish and could not settle in one place as the change became imminent, "You need to go ahead and transform," he told her.
Amber just nodded and suddenly a grey wolf was standing where Amber had been a moment before. She padded over to the hyperactive man and rearing up on her hind legs put her paws on his shoulder and licked his face from chin to hairline. Remus couldn't help but laugh.
Mission accomplished the wolf dropped back to all four feet and nudged his hip with her head, "What?" he asked as without even thinking about it he began to scratch her ears.
She thumped her tail and pushed him again in the direction of the couch, "You want me to sit down?"
She nodded her head and wagged her tail furiously. Remus settled on the couch and Amber jumped up beside him and placed her head in his lap. Remus found that petting her soothed him and he was able to doze fitfully while he waited for the full moon to rise.
Remus woke with a start and jumping up stripped off his robes. He was naked beneath them not wanting to ruin any more of his meager wardrobe. Amber could see the change beginning: his muscle strained, she could hear his joints popping, his hair grew and his face elongated into a muzzle. It may have only taken minutes, but watching the agony he went through, Amber felt as if it had been hours.
When the change was complete, a large black wolf stood staring intently at her. His muzzle was longer and his eyes were tormented, but other than that he looked like a normal wolf. Amber wagged her tail and then rolled over giving him her belly as a sign of submission. The black wolf sniffed her and then wagged his tail before lying down beside her. She flipped over and snuggled against him. He put his head on her flank and they fell asleep.
Amber woke at moon set when she felt Remus' body begin the change from wolf to man. Once the change was finished, she changed back as well and helped him into bed. She gave him a strengthening potion and made note of his vital signs. She then picked up a topical healing cream and began to massage it into his over worked muscles. Remus groaned in relief as he felt the cream heating and healing him from the outside in.
After she finished, Amber stripped and crawled into bed with him. This time she pulled him down until he was resting on her shoulder. She stroked his back until he fell into a deep sleep.
It was the end of term and Alexis couldn't believe that she had gotten even bigger. She now looked like a stomach with legs and arms attached. She hadn't seen her feet in weeks. Even when she propped them up she couldn't see them over the mound that had become her stomach. She still had another eight weeks and she wasn't sure she was going to make it.
The students were acting very protective of her. Whenever Snape wasn't with her a student would appear, usually a Slytherin or a Gryffindor. One memorable occasion Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood had both shown up to escort her to dinner. She had left them arguing in the hallway and had gotten a passing Ravenclaw to help her up the stairs.
Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy had shown up one Saturday to keep her company while Snape was working on the potion with Amber. They had started out by glaring daggers at each other. Neither willing to admit defeat and concede the other the field. Ginny had brought Alexis a knitting pattern for a baby blanket her mother had sent. Alexis was so excited she got Ginny to get her knitting supplies and help her start it. Draco looked on with his characteristic sneer. Alexis smiled at her knitting, "Draco if you don't watch out your face will freeze like that," she teased.
Ginny snickered causing Draco to turn and glare at her, "Think that's funny Weasley?" he snarled.
Ginny nodded as she helped Alexis wind the baby yarn not at all intimidated by the surly blonde.
"Mrs. Snape I don't understand why you are making a baby blanket. You are rich enough to buy anything you want. I can understand someone as poor as Weasley here having to make do and make their own things," Draco sniped.
Alexis caught the flush on Ginny's checks at the insult to her family, "Really Draco? It is funny you would say something like that. When I visited your mother last week she showed me the baby booties she had crocheted when she was pregnant with you."
Draco stared at her wide eyed, "What? I don't know anything about booties," now it was his turn to flush.
"Yes, they were the one and only thing that she ever made; but, she was very proud of them," Alexis started casting stitches onto the knitting needle, "Most women get the nesting instinct at least once during their pregnancy and try to make something for the baby they are carrying."
"Were they pretty?" Ginny asked curiously.
"They were very nice for a first attempt," Alexis hedged thinking of the tiny shoes in two different sizes, one with a square toe and the other with a round toe.
Draco looked unsure for a moment. Alexis took pity on him, "Draco, do you think I could get you to call for Slinky?"
Draco nodded and went over to the fireplace.
With a pop Slinky appeared, "Yes Master Malfoy what can Slinky be doing for you?"
Draco nodded over at Alexis who smiled at Slinky, "Slinky do you think we could have some refreshments?"
"Slinky will bring some snacks for Mistress Snape and her guests, but Mistress Snape had better not get Slinky in trouble with Professor Snape by eating what she should not," Slinky warned.
"I promise I will be good," Alexis had her fingers crossed under the yarn on her lap.
Slinky popped out and a few minutes later popped back in with a tray filled with raw vegetables, fruit, sandwiches and some cookies, "Slinky knows better than to trust Mistress Snape when it comes to food," he admonished at Alexis' disappointed look.
Alexis shrugged philosophically, put up the knitting and helped herself to a cookie. Draco and Ginny both began to nibble on the snacks.
"Have either of you ever played monopoly," Alexis asked the two teens.
Both looked at her blankly and then shook their heads.
"Ginny over on that bookshelf you will find a long thin box with monopoly written on it, will you bring it over here?"
Ginny willingly got up and fetched the box.
"It is a Muggle board game; would you two like to try it?"
Ginny looked intrigued while Draco looked disgusted until Ginny taunted him, "You aren't afraid to play a Muggle game with two witches are you Malfoy? Worried you might not be able to make a good showing?"
"I'm not afraid of anything to do with Muggles," he stated adamantly as he pulled the box to him and opened it up, "How do you play this thing?"
Alexis and Ginny shared a smirk of triumph before Alexis started explaining the rules.
Several hours later neither Alexis nor Ginny were smirking. Draco turned out to be a natural at monopoly. If either of them landed on any of his properties, they were sunk. Alexis closed her eyes and rolled the dice. At Ginny's groan of sympathy Alexis peeked and groaned herself, "Draco, you wouldn't take pity on a poor pregnant woman would you?"
Draco grinned wickedly, "Nope, you landed on Boardwalk with two houses. It looks like you have no property left to mortgage and no money. Give up?"
Alexis nodded once before turning to Ginny, "Okay Gin, it is up to you to uphold the honor of the sisterhood."
Ginny smiled grimly as she picked up the dice, blowing on them for luck she rolled and got box cars. Draco quickly counted up the squares and another evil smirk settled on his face, "So much for upholding honor," he gloated.
"If we can be graceful in defeat, than surely you can be graceful in victory," Alexis lectured.
Draco thought about it for a moment, "Nope I don't think so. You both have to admit that I am the monopoly maven."
"Draco, you are the monopoly madman," Alexis sighed hiding a grin.
Ginny quickly caught on, "Yes, Draco you are the monopoly moron."
"Hey wait a minute," Draco was indignant, "that is not what you are supposed to say."
"Draco is the monopoly munchkin?" Alexis tried.
"Monopoly midget?" Ginny giggled.
"Monopoly monkey?"
"Monopoly monster?"
"Monopoly matriculater?
"Matriculater? Is that even a real word?" Ginny asked.
"Maybe," Alexis replied.
Draco was tired of being ignored and made fun of, "If the two of you are finished, it is monopoly maven."
Just then Snape walked into the room, "Monopoly amateur?" he questioned and watched in surprise as Alexis and Ginny burst into laughter and Draco started hitting his head with a thin piece of cardboard.
