Chapter Thirty- A Night in Hogsmeade
"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Hermione whispered as they emerged from the passage.
Darian sneezed at the exotic scents coming from the numerous candies and ingredients that lined the walls. He silently closed the trapdoor that led to the passage after Ron stepped out. Above them, they could hear quiet murmurs of the other occupants.
Ron frowned. "I didn't know a lot of people came here at night."
Hermione shook her head, sweeping the cobwebs from her hair. She looked around nervously. "Don't you think someone will recognize us as Hogwarts students?"
"Well that can be fixed," Darian said. He waved his wand and the crests on their robes disappeared.
"Pure genius, really….." Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes.
"We can just say we're seventh years," Ron said easily.
Hermione sighed loudly. "Do you honestly think Madame Rosemerta was the only person we actually associated with? Other storeowners know us, Ron. We aren't exactly inconspicuous you know."
"Will you stop whining?" Ron snapped.
Darian gave him a dark glare.
"Look," Hermione said calmly, shooting Darian a quick look. "I'm just afraid that we're going to get caught."
"It's not like we've never done something like this before," Darian said, looking at her earnestly. "I honestly think that tricking Umbridge by leading her into the Forbidden Forest to find a pack of centaurs pretty much tops this."
Hermione blushed and Ron snickered.
"I wish I could've been there for that," the redhead sighed.
"Besides," Darian said, finally letting down his guard long enough to dust off his robe. "I don't think anyone will say anything. I mean, this is a war and in a war people usually tend to keep to themselves. Not to mention we could be polyjuiced Death Eaters for all they know."
"I guess," Hermione said softly, looking a little reassured.
Darian smiled briefly at her before looking up the stairs. He sniffed the air experimentally, not recognizing any of the scents. One in particular, however, smelled rather tangy. He sneezed again.
"I think its okay," he said, sniffling and wiping his watering eyes. "There might be a veela up there though…."
Ron's eyes lit up.
"Don't even think about it," Hermione said, grabbing his arm.
"What about Darian?" Ron squawked indignantly. "I'm not the only male here, you know! Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean he doesn't react to them!"
"Actually, it does. Werewolves aren't as affected if they already have a mate," Darian said smugly. "Unlike most creatures, we're usually quite loyal."
Hermione laughed and Ron cracked a grin.
"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you proud of being a werewolf, mate," he said, thumping Darian heartily on the back.
"It has its perks," Darian said, turning to lead the way upstairs.
Hermione hesitated. "Okay……so we're going to do this, right?"
"Of course," Darian said, glancing back at her.
Hermione smiled and nodded quickly, taking a breath. "Okay, let's go."
Ron grinned. "Aw, Darian," he said in a mocking voice. "I think 'Mione here needs a bit more of that 'reassurance' you gave her in the hall."
Hermione smacked him across the face.
&&&&&&&&&&&
"Its so beautiful," Hermione breathed as they strolled down the streets, passing groups of people every few moments.
Hogsmeade was indeed quite spectacular at night. None of them having seen it in the dark before, it took their breath away when they first stepped out of Honeydukes. As Christmas was just around the corner, there were giant Christmas trees stationed at every corner, each limb decorated to its fullest and branches intertwined with white lights and gold tensile. It almost looked daylight with all of the lights that adorned each shop and post, causing the charmed ice fixtures of Father Christmas to sparkle.
"They really outdid themselves this year," Darian said, looking around at the cheerful decorations as Christmas music played softly around them.
Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"What's that?" Ron asked as he paused near the Three Broomsticks, pointing to a line of booths that had been set up.
"Haven't you noticed them before?" Hermione asked. "Every Christmas, wizards set up booths to sell items from different countries. You really haven't noticed it before?"
Ron blushed.
"If its any consolation," Darian said, glancing at his friend, "I've never noticed them before either."
Ron threw a smirk at Hermione.
Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "Boys…." she muttered. "Where have you been buying your Christmas presents, then? There aren't many stores around here that sell that much merchandise except Zonko's."
"Owl order," Ron and Darian intoned at the same time.
Hermione shook her head, laughing slightly. "Come on," she said, taking a hand of each one and pulling them in the direction of the different booths.
"Okay," Hermione said as she stepped close to a wizard that was selling odd trinkets that Darian usually saw in Dumbledore's office. "We'll split up and meet at the Three Broomsticks for butterbeer in an hour, okay?"
"Split up?" Darian asked blankly. He felt rather uncomfortable leaving Hermione alone at this time of night. "Hermione, I don't think I can--"
"How am I supposed to buy your Christmas present with you standing right beside me?" Hermione asked in amusement, her brown eyes twinkling. "Go on; I'll be fine."
"Yeah, mate," Ron said seriously. "It'll be okay."
Darian looked helplessly between his two friends. "Look, its not a matter of wanting to or not, I really can't--"
"Unicorn Tears, sir?" a wizard interrupted, holding up a small glass vile filled with crystalline liquid. "Extremely rare, but I'll cut the price in half just because you seem like such a good lad."
Darian arched an eyebrow. "Do I know you?" he asked rudely, pushing away before the man could say anything else. "Hermione!" he yelled to her retreating back.
"I'm just going to look at the booths down here, okay?" she called, turning to face him so she was walking backwards. "I'll stay in sight, I promise."
Darian hesitated, feeling his insides writhe but, true to her word, Hermione stopped quite a ways down, though he could still see and smell her. He bit his lip nervously and slowly tore his gaze from her to look at the booth he was now standing at.
"Greetings, sir!" a young witch with bright green eyes said cheerfully. "Christmas shopping are you?"
Darian glanced down at where Hermione was for a moment before slowly turning back to the waiting witch. "Er…yeah…"
"Well I'm sure I have just the thing for that young lady down there you were talking with earlier," the witch said and Darian frowned, turning his attention to the merchandise that was displayed proudly.
His eyes widened at the different jewelry that littered the table in front of him. He had never seen so many shiny things. He let his eyes roam over the different stones that were encircled with gold, silver, and many other foreign metals that Darian didn't recognize. Some of the precious jewels adorned smaller stones and were hung on a fine thread of gold or a thick band of silver.
"This will certainly win your lady-friend over!" she said expressively, showing him a finely cut silver band that had a large sapphire with tiny diamonds on the edge of it. "Simple and sweet with just a little decoration."
"Oh….I don't know," Darian said uncertainly.
"Not a ring-lover, no?" the witch asked. She was young and obviously unwilling to quit.
Darian shrugged, feeling pathetic. "I really don't know what to get her."
"First time, then?"
"You could…..say that," Darian said, feeling uncomfortable.
"Not to worry!" she assured quickly, taking out more jewelry. "How about a necklace?"
Darian shrugged again.
"This is what you need!" she declared triumphantly.
Darian stared at what she was displaying. It was two necklaces. The pendant they made together formed a ying-yang. One was a gold chain with a silver ying and the other was a silver chain with a gold yang.
"The ever-popular Ying-Yang necklaces!"
"I don't think so," Darian said, shaking his head. "It seems a bit childish." The two necklaces were beautifully made, no doubt, but the idea seemed rather immature to him, almost like those poorly made friendship necklaces he had once seen in a store with Aunt Petunia where one bore 'Best' and the other read 'Friends.'
Darian looked up to see Hermione a little farther away, but still close enough. He ran a hand through his long hair and let it fall back against his forehead.
"I really should be going….." he stopped, trailing off when he spotted a gold ring strung on a matching but very fine chain. He picked up the small ring. The gold glimmered but it wasn't bright and shiny, rather kind of a dull gold that contained its own vivid beauty. The band was thick and slightly heavy in his hand. He knew, on instinct, that if he were to put it around his neck, he could easily feel the ring resting on his chest.
"It is very plain," the witch said, sounding slightly put out. "But if it is what the sir wishes…."
Darian tuned her out and examined the ring, running his fingers around the smooth gold, pausing when he felt the rough texture of an inscription on the inside. He turned it over and squinted to see the tiny words.
'It Always Perseveres'
Darian studied the fluently looped words. The ring was simple and nothing glamorous, yet to him it seemed perfect.
"I'll take it," he said finally.
"Are you sure you don't want to look at these?" the witch asked, gesturing to the rings that proudly bore sparkling jewels but trailed off at his dour look. "Alright. Do you wish to put you and your girlfriend's name on the inside?"
Darian winced. "No," he said, rolling the ring between his fingers before holding it up by the chain and watching it revolve slowly in the air. "Its fine the way it is."
The witch was highly disgruntled as Darian paid a pretty penny for the gold tucked away in its own box and promised Unbreakable Charm placed over it.
Darian placed the velvet box in his pocket and sighed gratefully before turning his attention to the other booths. He found that getting the next few presents were much easier then Hermione's had been.
For some reason, Darian felt it appropriate to buy Remus a pensive. As he stared at the swirling contents that were waiting to be filled with memory, he thought of all the people Remus had lost. Perhaps this would ease the pain a little, and maybe Remus might let Darian see some of the memories involving the Marauders.
Ron's was simple enough. Darian had debated on simply getting him something that bore a Chudley Cannons insignia but got sidetracked when he spotted a booth selling different Chess sets. One in particular caught his interest. It was a Chess set designed after light and dark magical creatures. The dark side had a Dementor as King and a Banshee as Queen with two Vampires as Rooks, Inferi were the Knights, Werewolves (Darian flinched) as the Castles, and a bunch of tiny Basilisks as Pawns. The light side consisted of a Phoenix as King and a Veela as Queen with Elves as Rooks, Unicorns as Knights, Centaurs as the Castles, and Fairies as the Pawns. The chessboard seemed to be made out of marble and was checkered dark blue and gold.
Darian studied the tiny figurines, awed at the precision of detail on each figurine. He never thought it was possible to make a harp as tiny as the ones the two centaurs were holding. As he touched the miniscule harps, he noticed the strings were real gold threads. Picking up the werewolf figurine, Darian noticed that each creature was made out of some type of rock. He squinted to see the razor sharp teeth jutting out of the werewolf's long snout.
"They have a type of Repairing Charm placed on them," the old wizard told Darian.
"Repairing Charm?"
The wizard nodded, his pointed blue hat drooping off to one side. "When they break, they repair themselves immediately," he said, adjusting his hat.
Darian nodded and paid the six galleons and three knuts for it.
It suddenly dawned on him that his father's present would be the last one he would buy this year. After all, he couldn't send a present to Hagrid or Neville or any of the other Weasleys….
Darian checked once more on Hermione before continuing down the long row of booths in search of something for his father. He passed the different booths, glancing only briefly at the displays. He already had one present to give to his father, something that he was sure Snape would appreciate very much, but he still wanted to get him a little something.
In the end, Darian simply got him a set of very rare potion's ingredients complete with Unicorn Tears.
&&&&&&&&&&
When they all finally finished and sat down in a corner with three hot mugs of butterbeer, they talked of trivial things such as quidditch and the Weasley twins' latest inventions, talking long into the morning until the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon.
By then it was nearing breakfast and the three quickly headed back to Hogwarts through the passage, finally putting Darian's cloak to good use when they somehow 'appeared' in their beds as if they had been there the whole time.
Darian took a quick lukewarm shower to erase all evidence of a sleepless night before heading down to the Great Hall to bid Ron and Hermione goodbye for the holidays.
"Have a good Christmas, okay Darian?" Hermione said as Ron thumped him on the back.
"I will," Darian said, trying to be cheerful. "Maybe not on Christmas exactly but it will be a good holiday."
Hermione and Ron both winced, knowing that the next full moon was on Christmas Eve.
The whistle sounded and Darian hauled Hermione's trunk onto the train. He turned and gave his mate and best friend a sheepish grin, uncertain as to what to say.
"Well," he said, looking between the two of them. "This will be the first Christmas I've been away from the two of you since we were twelve."
"Yep! And you'll have just as good of time!" Ron said suddenly, surprising both Darian and Hermione by the reassurance in his voice.
"What are you two still doing here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, appearing out of nowhere. "The train is about to leave! Get on, now!"
Ron shook his head as she walked away to hustle a gaggle of second years on the train.
"See you, mate," he said before boarding the train.
Darian looked uncertainly at Hermione.
"You going to be okay?" Hermione asked softly, looking up at him through curly bangs.
He shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"
She smiled.
"Come on Hermione!" Ron yelled from one of the windows.
Hermione glanced over her shoulder at him briefly before turning and wrapping her arms around Darian.
"I'll miss you," she said, burying her face into his robe.
Darian sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, resting a cheek on top of her head.
"I'll write to you, okay?" she said, looking up at him, her arms still wrapped around his shoulders. "And I'll see how you're doing after the full moon. If it gets too bad….you'll tell me, promise?"
Darian blushed unwillingly. "Promise."
"Good," she said and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was long and tender, warming Darian to the very bone. He didn't want to end it, but McGonagall grabbed his shoulder and he pulled back reluctantly.
"I expected better of the two of you! The train is leaving now, Miss Granger so I suggest you board it unless you want to be stuck here for the holidays," the Transfiguration professor admonished.
"What is it with us getting caught by teachers?" Darian joked weakly.
Hermione laughed and gave him one last a quick hug before dashing into the train just as the door slid shut.
Darian waited until the train had rounded a corner and disappeared before heading back up to Hogwarts.
"Mr. Snape!" Professor McGonagall called after him. "Professor Snape requested that you get your things together. He says the two of you are leaving directly."
"To where?" Darian asked blankly.
Professor McGonagall looked at him oddly. "I'd say to your home, Mr. Snape," she said and they continued up to Hogwarts.
&&&&&&&&&&
"Not to be rude or anything," Darian said as he set his trunk down on the floor. "But I thought you owned a Manor."
Severus looked up at him from where he was starting a fire in the small fireplace. "You expected an extravagantly furnished Manor with five hundred rooms, no?"
Darian blushed, looking around the small cottage. "I'm not disappointed or anything, I just thought—"
"I know, Darian," Severus said with a small smile. "But I cannot stand large houses, especially when I'm alone." He let out a loud sigh, abandoning the muggle technique he'd been trying to use to light the fire and waving his wand instead, the fireplace immediately burst to life. "Not only that," he continued. "But the Manor currently belongs to my brother and his family."
Darian froze and looked up at him. "You have a brother? I have cousins?"
Severus stood up, taking off his robe and throwing it nonchalantly on the couch. "Yes," he said shortly. "Though I do not think that you would gain any pleasure from meeting him."
"He's a Death Eater, then?" Darian asked, though it was more of a statement.
"That, and a vindictive bastard," Severus said bitterly.
"Ah, it runs in the family does it?" Darian joked though he immediately bit his lip, fearing he had gone too far.
Snape looked at him for a moment and his lips twitched. "You could say that."
"What about his kids?" Darian asked out of relief, also taking off his robes as warmth flooded the small living room.
"Kid," Severus amended. "He has one son, and a sorry excuse of a human being that brat is."
Darian cocked his head to the side, looking at him questioningly. "You really don't like them do you?"
"I am not fond of them, no."
Darian smiled and slowly looked around the house. It was small, no doubt. The entire house seemed to be made out of oak and had a tiny kitchen squeezed on the other side of the living room. There wasn't a dining room but there was a coffee table in between the couch and fire.
"I'm a very clean person, Darian," Severus told him when he questioned the absence of a proper dinner table. "I don't need it."
"I do hope you weren't expecting the Malfoys' estate," Severus said suddenly, looking at him. His tone was sarcastic though Darian could tell that his own opinion of his new home was important to Snape.
"It's small, yes, but I like it," Darian told him honestly, looking around the living room at the couch and two chairs stationed in front of the roaring fire. "It seems very…..homey." He looked back at his father, not needing to say aloud what it meant for him to actually have a home of his own.
Severus nodded. "I bought this with your mother, you know."
Darian's head shot up from where he was staring into the fire. "Really?"
Another nod. "Yes. Before we married, she….Lily wanted to buy a house of our own first." A pause. "That was only a few weeks before we decided to go our separate ways."
Darian digested the little information eagerly.
"She fell in love with the house immediately," Snape went on, turning away from Darian to stare at the book-filled shelves that were attached to the walls. "She said it was the perfect size for starting a family."
Darian looked down at the beige carpeted floor. He was silent.
"We both decorated the interior," Severus said, turning back to Darian and walking over to sit beside his son on the couch.
"So you haven't changed anything?" Darian asked, looking at the couch he was sitting on. He tried to imagine his mother sitting in this very spot so many years ago, young and happy, expecting to soon be wed to his father, not knowing that in a few short years she would be…..
"She put in a nursery beside our bedroom." Snape's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at his father. Severus's dark eyes had a far away look to them, and Darian knew that his father wasn't with him anymore, but rather seventeen years ago in the past. "I thought she just designed a nursery because she eventually wanted to have children. I didn't know she was already…." He trailed off and swallowed heavily.
Darian looked at him, feeling his eyes burn. "Is it still there?"
Snape blinked and turned to look at him. "No. I had to turn it into guest bedroom. There are only two bedrooms in this house, after all."
Darian felt his heart sink. "Oh," he said quietly.
Severus smiled faintly at him. "Why? Did you plan on sleeping in there?"
Darian's face broke out into a grin, the somber mood shattered instantly. "No, I just never had a baby blanket that I can remember, or a stuffed animal."
"So you planned to take one from the nursery?"
Darian shrugged. "Maybe. Ron still has his Mister Fuzzums."
Severus laughed softly. "I didn't need to know that, though I'm sure I can put that information to use during detentions with him…."
"Don't even think about it," Darian warned. "I told you that with the utmost confidence that you'd keep the information private!"
"I'm a Slytherin, remember? What did you think I'd do with that kind of information?"
"Well, true…." Darian said, thinking. He laughed. "Oh Merlin, poor Ron…"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Christmas Eve came all too quickly for Darian. Though he normally would've looked forward to his favorite holiday, he was dreading the next full moon.
Wolfsbane, which had originally started out a major inconvenience that Darian despised, was soon becoming Darian's favorite potion. The taste was still horrible, though it was with new enthusiasm that he drank it, knowing all too well the feeling of having no control over himself. The feeling was soon becoming his greatest fear, as was the full moon.
Severus was gentle around him, already recognizing his short temper, mixed with pity for the way his son had to spend the holiday.
Darian hated pity, and it didn't help the situation at all that the young werewolf was beginning to miss his mate.
Snape felt like he was constantly on pins and needles around Darian. He had never realized just how temperamental Darian got when the full moon was this close, as he'd never spent this much time with his son before. Remus never got this bad, though Severus guessed it was because Darian was a teenager and his hormones were already out of whack. So it was with great unease that he carried Darian's last dosage of Wolfsbane up to the boy's room, hoping to himself that their suddenly frenzied holiday would become peaceful again after the full moon was over.
"Darian," Severus called as he opened the door without knocking.
Darian was lying on his bed, as usual, reading ahead in his Transfiguration book. He looked up when Severus came in.
"Don't you ever knock?" he asked rudely and his father sighed indulgently and set the potion on his bedside table.
"Drink that directly," Severus told his son. "You need to be downstairs soon, Darian, the full moon rises in half an hour."
Darian nodded tersely, staring at the smoking goblet with a look of determination.
Severus eyed the room. It didn't have much, as it was just a guest room, but Darian had already unpacked his things and the once empty room was now filled with books, robes both dirty and clean, and candy wrappers. It amused Severus to no end to see how his son was quite picky about some of things in his room such as the window always having to be open regardless if it was below freezing outside, or how Darian refused to close the small closet door and the light inside always had to be on.
For a moment, Severus's eyes blurred and he could see Lily, awash with happiness, proudly showing him the nursery she had just set up. He could barely remember the details, having last seen it years ago though he knew the theme had been the ocean. The boring white walls had once been adorned with a beautiful painting of a sparkling ocean and a sandy beach, the ceiling once charmed to be a bright blue sky with the sun shining during the day, complete with the sounds of seagulls cawing and the ocean washing up onto the shore.
"Professor?"
Severus was torn from his reminisce to look at his son. "Yes?"
"The full moon," Darian said as if he were stupid. He arched an eyebrow at his father. "Werewolf? Ring a bell?"
Severus shook his head to clear it. "Of course," he responded quickly, and gently took Darian's shoulder. "Come on. I'll walk you outside."
As they stepped out the front door and were assaulted with a fresh blast of cold air, Severus caught a glimpse of his son's face, pinched with fear. He squeezed the boy's shoulder tightly, vainly trying to reassure the both of them.
&&&&&&&&&
Severus sat outside on the porch, staring out into the large grass field that surrounded his house. He had apparated Darian a few miles away from the cottage and stayed with the boy until the moon had just begun to rise before apparating away. His gut twisted, however, when he remembered the terrified look on Darian's face before he had fled.
Darian had made himself known only a few moments after Severus settled himself on the front porch with drink in one hand and a book in the other. He had promised his son that he would be there the moment the moon went down, and he'd be damned if he broke that vow by falling asleep.
Darian's familiar howl echoed across the grassland again and Severus felt his lips twitch.
"He never is one to stay unnoticed is he?" he whispered to himself.
Another howl sounded after Darian's, sounding deeper and more mature then that of a young werewolf. Severus froze, looking up. He quickly marked his page and stood, brandishing his wand in front of him and slowly backing up to the door. The other howl had sounded far too close for his liking.
A loud snarl caught his attention and he turned to see an enormous gray werewolf only a few hundred feet away. But Darian was a black werewolf…..
Severus felt the breath leave his body as he fumbled with the doorknob and practically fell into the house. He slammed the door shut behind him and stood there for a moment, panting.
No….this couldn't be happening. This field had been abandoned for years. Severus had never heard of a werewolf even remotely close to this proximity. A second later the sound of scratching reached his ears, separated only by the door he was leaning on.
Severus backed away, raising his wand and stared determinedly at the door. The scratching continued and he knew that it was only a matter of minutes before the werewolf broke through the door.
"Dammit, why didn't I put up any wards?" he hissed to himself, backing away from the door. He raised his wand in preparation.
And suddenly, the scratching was replaced by a whimper and then another loud snarl. Severus stilled. He could hear growling coming from the other side and slowly lowered his wand, cautiously walking up to the window to peer outside.
Two werewolves were facing off against each other in front of the porch.
"Darian," Severus whispered, recognizing the much smaller werewolf with a jolt of fear.