Angelinus

Chapter 2

Celebration

"The little bastards gave us silver! They bloody well knew what silver does to werewolves and they gave us silver!" Severus raged furiously as he tended Remus' burned and blackened finger tips. The offending silver salver was a twisted metal lump against the far wall, banished there in a fit of fear fuelled rage when Remus yelped as it burned him.

"Sev! Calm down! They probably didn't even think! Come on, you know a silver salver is the traditional pureblood gift to give to a superior, you know that! It's written in the bleeding etiquette manual, right up there with leaving a visiting card with the corner folded over to show it was a personal visit."

"Accio salve!" Severus snarled, layering yet another potion over Remus' index finger where the skin had burst open and was bleeding. A second vial of salve snapped into his waiting hand and he added it to the paste he had already smoothed onto Remus' burns. "As maybe but they should have realised! How does that feel now? The paste should make it heal in.... Ah, good, it worked, much better."

Remus was impressed! The burns were all but a memory already; the new skin was baby pink and as soft as rose petals. He traced it across Severus' cheek, feeling the coarse pores of his upper cheek which contrasted so delicately with the soft skin near his ear. He smiled as Sev almost purred under his gentle stroking, his temper at the incident forgotten.

A quick Reparo and the silver salver was whole again, the spell placing it on the mantle shelf over the fireplace under a protection ward where it looked decorative and was no longer a danger to Remus. The whiskey decanter that had thudded to the carpet when he dropped the tray was retrieved and the glasses picked up, a common, woven rush tray pulled out of the cupboard to serve their pre reception drinks on instead. Holding out a glass to Severus, Remus offered a traditional toast and they chinked glasses before sipping quietly. Drinking in the afternoon was probably not the best idea in the world but in less than half an hour they were to be the hosts and guests of honour at their own reception. A short shot of firewiskey was probably the only way Severus was going to stay calm enough to face the ordeal without turning their guests into something small and probably scaly on the slightest provocation, Remus thought with a grin.

oOo

Albus had outdone himself, decking the small hall in Slytherin and Gryffindor colours. Tables of food and bottles of fine old wines were already decanted and set out. A number of staff and pupils were mingling at the far end as they entered, Severus looking grim as he guided Remus to the Headmaster. Albus merely smiled and offered his congratulations along with a glass of deep red wine each.

At the striking of the bells, the first of their distinguished guests arrived, wife and family in tow. The war had been rough on Ron Weasley, the trademark red hair faded to pale strawberry and silver by the final battle, his right leg terminating at the knee joint. Still, the limp was almost imperceptible and a black glove covered the remains of his right hand. Weasley had dressed in conservative dark blue robes as befitted his position as an organising auror. He was much taller than any of his brothers, as tall as Severus and twice as broad, an imposing and impressive figure as he neared his thirtieth year.

His wife, an equally lanky and blonde Muggle, looked both fascinated and terrified as they entered the hall, holding onto her husband's elbow with white tipped fingers. She had never attended such a gathering before and was at a loss on how to behave. They had managed to produce one child every two years of their marriage and a fourth child curved Desiree's belly, bulging the tasteful blue and grey dress she wore. By all accounts Weasley doted on his wife and family and the care he took to usher them into the hall was evidence enough. The children, the eldest a red haired boy, followed by a smaller red blonde girl clung close to their mother, the youngest child not in evidence. They clung even closer as their father guided them over to meet the guests of honour.

"Hello Remus, Professor Snape," Ron said carefully. "May I present my wife Desiree, my son William and my daughter Martha Marie?"

"Delighted to meet you," Remus said taking the woman's hand and dropping a kiss on the back in a courtly, old fashioned manner.

Severus snorted and offered Ron his hand, taking the ruined one with no flinch or reticence, which made Ron smile a little more cheerfully. He had forgotten what a hard and straight forward man Severus Snape could be. "Weasley. And brood."

Ron laughed delightedly. "Good to see you again Severus. Severus kept our arses alive long enough to finish the job we had to do and get back to marry you. Remus!" He hugged the werewolf unaffectedly, dropping a quick kiss on his cheek. "Happy?" He asked.

"Very," Remus confirmed, ignoring the wife's slight intake of breath. "And you? Good, and increasing too? The Weasleys were always known for their fecundity."

"They breed like rabbits but then, we need so many places filled," a new voice purred softly and Ron stiffened before a grin lighted up his face.

"Ferret! How are you, Man! 'Mione! Hah, it's good to see you! And who are we calling rabbits, Malfoy? With how many children - and one on the way?"

"Uncle Dragon! Uncle Dragon! Where are Hanova and Lysander?" Will Weasley squeaked grabbing the short blond man around the legs as his sister wrapped her arms around Hermione's legs with cries of 'Aunty Mione!

"They are over pestering Professor Dumbledore for sherbet lemons and Aunt Minerva for sparkleade." Draco Malfoy informed the red headed pair casually as he ruffled curls and smiled benignly on them.

"Merlin Forfend, 'Uncle Dragon'?" Severus sneered at his former prefect and godson who gave back a perfect Malfoy sneer in turn.

"I take no blame for that, it was Dragon or Dray and I refuse to be a 'work cart'. Blame Harry and Ron if you must. Congratulations to both of you. A gift has been sent to your quarters. Really Severus, did you have to take Lupin down to the dungeons?"

"I like the dungeons," Remus put in gently, worried that the two purebloods would be at each other's throats in a few moments, both sneering and snarling at each other.

Draco sighed, closing his eyes and pinching his nose wearily. "There's no hope for him, we'll never get him out into the fresh air now, and he is corrupting you too Remus, how sad." He opened his eyes and winked at Remus who was totally taken aback.

Draco Malfoy had never struck him as playful, only as sarcastic and cruel, but then, that was how most people perceived Severus who was nothing like that in private. Perhaps it was just a pureblood thing after all. He was even more surprised when Draco stood on tiptoes and kissed his godfather's cheek, Severus bending to accept the salute with unruffled dignity. "Behave and look after each other," Draco murmured as he stood down and kissed Remus too.

A pair of arms slid around Draco's waist and a head of fuzzy brown hair slid under his arm. He glanced down and grinned as his wife snugged into his side and kissed his cheek before turning to the two men before them. Hermione Malfoy, nee Granger laughed up at them, no taller than her husband yet sparkling with joy and high spirits. The war had added grey wings to her hair but had taught her to grasp each moment of the day and wring as much joy from it as was possible. She and Draco had been married in the darkest part of the war when life had been a grim round of fighting and funerals. Their wedding had almost been defiance of the darkness and in many ways had turned the tide simply by increasing morale when it had been at its lowest ebb. Their first child had been born only six months after the wedding ceremony, quickly followed by four more making three boys and two girls. As unlikely as it seemed, Draco Malfoy was an indulgent and protective father who loved and cherished his family more than anything in the world, so unlike his own distant and cold parents. Dropping ceremony on its rear, Hermione flung her arms around Remus and smooched him firmly before startling Severus by reaching up and kissing his cheek briefly.

"Congratulations both of you! I am so excited! It's about time! Are you going on a honeymoon? You can have the Paris pensionne if you want it? Or the New York property Draco bought last year if you don't fancy Europe. Or are you off to Africa? I've heard it is lovely in the spring."

Remus chuckled and Severus glared before a small smile twitched his lips. "No honeymoon, we will not have time," Severus replied unexpectedly. "Actually we had to get married after all, as we are about to receive twins."

There was a stunned silence then the group burst out laughing as Remus blushed and batted him in the chest with the back of his hand. "What Severus means is we have inherited one of his cousin's children, as their guardians."

"Damn! I liked it better the other way," Draco laughed. "I was about to give him 'the lecture' about waiting and available charms and the inadvisability of creating life amongst the wasteland of death. After all, tit for tat." He wrapped and arm around his wife and kissed her soundly.

The group continued their banter as they made their way across the room to speak to others, leaving Remus and Severus alone for a few minutes. Severus checked around furtively and slid his arm over Remus' shoulders pulling him close and kissing his temple softly. "Thank you for being a part of my life, all of my life now."

"Thank you for making me a part of your life, and for filling my life with meaning and love." Remus murmured as he turned and kissed his bond mate fully, revelling in the taste and feel of him. The rest of the party faded away as they tasted and touched, engrossed in their own small world until something tugged insistently on Severus' robes.

Blinking to realign himself with the real world, Severus looked down on a small child with unmistakable green eyes. "Yes Miss Potter?"

"Hi Uncle Sev, Mum and Dad are coming sometime soon but I came faster to see you first. You married my uncle Remy so now I can't marry you, can I? Can I have a kneasle instead? Mum said no but Dad said yes so they are still discussing it but if you get me one first then it would be too late, now wouldn't it?"

"And who said I would indulge you in a kneasle?" Severus asked flatly, staring down at the heart shaped face staring up at him with an angelic smile and calculating eyes.

"Well, Mum says you always do things that are going to annoy her just because you are a contrary old bat and Dad says......"

"Lillian Potter! One more word!" Ginny Potter, nee Weasley glared at her oldest and most precocious child in something akin to horror. Her husband, his left hand laid lightly on her right arm, was laughing his fool head off as they approached. "And no, she is not having another pet, she had far too many as it is!"

Remus grinned as his mate drew himself up to his full height and stared down at the red haired woman who glared back equally hardily. Shaking his head, he touched Harry's hand and was rewarded by a welcoming smile. "Harry, so good to see you again."

"Remus! We've missed your visits these last few months but now I know why you couldn't tear yourself away from Hogwarts." Harry teased, letting go of his wife to wrap an arm around his Godfather's ex-partner. "The children have missed both of you spoiling them."

"It's always hard to get away in winter term. How are you keeping? How is the writing? We are using your second book as a definitive text on DADA this year. Even the first years can follow it."

"Good. I'd hate to waste all that experience." Harry smiled slightly.

Of the Trio, Harry had come away from his battle with his nemesis with both the least and the most damage. While Ron was physically damaged and Hermione had ended up in a coma for five days, Harry had been a physical and mental wreck; scarred, battered and suffering the after-effects of backlash and the Cruciatus curse to the point where they thought he would never regain his senses. Severus' potion had managed to control the mental and physical tremors but the lingering effects had manifest themselves in the complete destruction of Harry's sight. His bright green eyes had been reduced to blind white balls in his head and his trademark glasses were no more. Still, he was content, happily married with two lovely children, Lillian and Paul, a full time career and a lovely home in the Muggle part of London. Frequent visits from friends and many trips to the Burrow kept him in touch with the Wizarding World and his books on the Defence Against the Dark Arts, as well as the novels he wrote under a pen name kept him and his family in comfort, without ever dipping into the legacies left him by his parents or his Godfather. And, as he often remarked, magic had a way of compensating for problems.

He sniffed delicately and smiled in puzzlement. "I thought Ginny said this was a pair bonding reception?"

"Yes, that's right. Severus and I made a pair bonding yesterday evening."

"Doesn't smell like it? Smells like a full bonding to me."

Remus smiled and hugged his godson again. "Yes, but don't tell Sev."

Harry laughed and turned, putting out a hand which was taken by a cool slim one. "Congratulations Severus, it's about time you were happy and I'm glad you found Remus again."

"So am I," Severus confessed quietly to the Boy Who Lived, whose father had been his contemporary, whom he had taught as a student and fought beside during the final days of the war. "Should I get Lillian a kneasle?"

"Only if you want Ginny to hex you," Harry muttered out the side of his mouth, knowing Sev would indulge his daughter who had the makings of a fine Slytherin already. "How are you enjoying your party?"

"Remus is having fun." The dry tones made Harry grin even wider and ask Severus to take him over to Dumbledore.

They moved through the hall, Severus acknowledging greetings and ignoring the attention paid to Harry who did not see the adoring or pitying looks people shot him when the whisper went around that the reclusive 'Boy who Defeated Voldemort' was present. Occasionally, Harry's hand tightened on the silk covering Severus' arm and a slight grimace of disgust moved the blandly expressionless face. Even without sight, Severus knew Harry was well aware of the smiles, the pitying looks and the sly whispers but chose to ignore them as best he could. Severus almost commented but refrained as they approached Dumbledore who had his own adoring court of small children clustered around his robes as he performed pretty magic for their entertainment.

Severus turned Harry over to Ron who slung an arm over his best friend's shoulders and leaned on him. Hermione slid under Ron's other arm and the three of them leaned together as ever they had, unintentionally excluding spouses from the charmed circle they created.

"The power of three," Draco commented, his glowing blondness and small, fine-boned frame looking incongruous next to Severus' tall, thin blackness.

"Are you jealous?" Severus asked curiously.

"Merlin no! They had their chances but in the end she chose me, although I have never understood why. I envy their friendship but I would never begrudge it. We survived the worst of times and in these, the best of times, we can relish the love and contentment we sacrificed our childhoods to earn."

"That was poetic Dragon," the Muggle woman, Desiree Weasley, said softly. "Ron told me a bit about the war you all fought in but it seems so far fetched to me until the nightmares come or old friends get drunk and begin conjuring."

Surprisingly, Draco slid an arm around her waist and hugged her companionably, his head barely reaching her shoulder. "There is nothing worse to listen to than old war stories told by drunken wizard warriors with wands! They should disarm us before we get drunk."

Desiree laughed and dropped a kiss on his white blond hair. "You're bad! And you are one of the worst offender, you snob, you!"

"Pureblood, darling, please!" That Draco could tease and joke with a mere Muggle was a measure of how far he had come since the grim days of the Second Voldemort War.

Severus felt arms go around his waist and smiled indulgently as Remus slid under his shoulder.

"Having fun?" Remus asked, offering his mate the glass of wine he was drinking.

Sipping the wine, Severus kissed his new husband, stroking the hair from his temple with a gentle hand. "It's good to see them being light hearted and frivolous. Draco was right, Voldemort stole their childhoods, and our youth too."

"No, let's not go there today," Remus said gently but firmly. "We are going to eat soon and perhaps open gifts. Isn't Albus having fun? Do you know, I thought Hogwarts would have trouble making the full class intake after the war but seeing all the children here and knowing how many are left at home as too young, I have hope. We may get a couple of thin years but eventually we are going to have good numbers again."

"After the Second World War, Muggle war, that is, there was a baby boom," Desiree said quietly, overhearing their conversation. "People who survive the traumatic experience of war tend to want to reaffirm life and the best way to do that is to have children of their own. I - I know your err, Purebloods, is that the term Dragon? Purebloods don't approve of inter-breeding with normal people but I think you will no longer have a choice after this war. The gene pool was small to start with and the war has reduced it even further. If the purebloods insist on inbreeding, the number of defective births will increase out of all proportion until the whole concept of pure blood takes on a very different and sinister meaning."

"You sound very sure of that," Severus said flatly, staring down at the woman with hard eyes.

"It's my job to be sure, I am a geneticist. Draco here is a prime example of pureblood breeding: only child of his parents, almost albino, cousins who are err squibs and non-entities. He marries a Muggle-born witch and suddenly he has five off-springs who already test magic high, very intelligent and only one with albino tendencies. My own children are also case in point. Weasley is a pure blood family but they have never indulged in class distinctions and so have never succumbed to the curse of the upper class purebloods."

Remus nodded agreement. "My family has quite a few squibs in the early years of last century but eventually my great grandfather married a Muggle and the problems seemed to ease at that point. My mother was part Muggle and my brother and I were magic rich until we were attacked by the werewolf. My brother was killed and I - was changed."

Desiree frowned slightly. "Is it rude to ask but are you really a werewolf?"

"Yes, really," Remus laughed softly, a rueful note in the depths. "However, being bitten as a small child, I have always had to live with the changes and so can endure them fairly well. Although I still have a few problems, allergies to silver being the worst at this time. Thanks to Sev's Wolfsbane potion, I am now rendered fairly harmless during the moon phase."

"There have always been rumours of lycanthropy in our folk lore but to find out it is true is something of an eye opener," Desiree stated, fixing Remus with a fascinated eye. "Do you mind indulging me with a few answers?"

Severus listened to the woman ask intelligent and piercing questions before drifting off and finding a glass of Ogden's finest. Standing in a corner away from the direct light, he sipped slowly and savoured the fiery, smoky taste of fine whiskey. He surveyed the gathering and wondered at how so many people had managed to turn up for what was supposed to be a small, private gathering. Still, Remus was - enjoying himself - and that was a very important consideration, probably the most important.

He was wondering if he should summon another whiskey when Ron came over and handed him a full glass. They stood together, sipping the fiery spirit without a word between them as they watched people gather, talk, break apart and reform in other conversational groups.

"They're only here because of us, you know," Ron said suddenly, almost perplexedly. "The Order, I mean, and the spies and the bloody stupid heroics this group of born idiots performed on behalf of the masses. Do you wonder sometimes if it was all worth it? If we could have done anything differently?"

Severus turned his head slightly to survey the chief inspector of Aurors and smiled, shaking his head a fraction. "No, we could not have done any different. We loved and we lost loved ones. We cared and we sacrificed those cares and we won, at a terrible cost, but we did win, and we owe it to those who are gone, to live the best and happiest lives we are able to. We should have more of these gatherings, if only to remind us of why we fought in the first place."

"And why is that?" Ron questioned the tall, gaunt man at his side, a man who had paid dearly for his ideals: had been shunned by the general population for so long because he had turned and spied and generally lived in the shadow of evil for the greater good of wizarding kind.

"Because of the children. Because they are the only reason we could have fought and won; so that the children could thrive and grow and blossom in a gentler world than you and yours knew." Severus Snape, curmudgeon of the worst kind stated softly and with absolute conviction.

"Hear, hear," 'Ron agreed softly, toasting the man with his glass. "For the children." They drank the toast silently and in full accord with each other.