Snapedom

Mr. Remus J. Lupin and guest are cordially invited to:

The First Annual Werewolf Jamboree and Bake-off!

There will be food, singing, dancing, games, and prizes! (The entire family is welcome!)

Howl at the moon and get in touch with your inner wolf!

Roast meat will be provided by the Jamboree committee, but other potluck dishes are welcome.

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO ALL WEREWOLF PARTICIPANTS: Do not forget to take your Wolfsbane Potion!

"Werewolf Jamboree?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows as he read the invitation that Lupin had handed him. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, it's completely serious," Lupin replied cheerfully. "I think it was Bill Weasley's idea; he's the head of the Jamboree committee."

"'Get in touch with your inner wolf'?" Snape asked incredulously.

"Well, that's your own fault, you know," Lupin chuckled. "You were the one who told me that fighting my inner wolf was making the transformation more difficult. Bill and some of the others thought it was important to learn how to accept the wolf and make peace with it."

"But this is not what I meant!" Snape protested. "And what does a bake-off have to do with getting in touch with one's inner wolf?"

"Oh, that was Molly's idea," Lupin replied. "Thought it would make the whole thing more family friendly, and she never passes up a chance to show off her cooking skills."

"And what's all this about it being a family event?" Snape demanded. "Whose brilliant idea was it to invite children to a gathering of large carnivorous creatures getting in touch with their inner wolves?"

"Bill's again," Lupin replied calmly. "And I agree with him. Werewolves aren't just beasts, Severus--they're people, with families. Some of them have spouses and children. I think it's important for those children not to fear their parents, and to accept them as they are. Of course, without the Wolfsbane Potion, it would be an entirely different story, but since the potion renders us sane and safe during the full moon, I don't see any problem with the children attending the Jamboree." He raised one eyebrow and asked pointedly, "Unless you have some reason to doubt the efficacy of your potion?"

"There's certainly nothing wrong with the potion that I brew!" Snape snapped, offended by the implied slight of his potion-making skills, although he knew that Lupin didn't really mean it. "Though I can't speak for the potions brewed by others."

"All the werewolves are receiving their potions from Ministry-licensed Potions Masters," Lupin pointed out calmly. "You yourself approved everyone on that list." He smiled sweetly. "I trust you have no further objections."

Snape sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. "Only that I still think it's a ridiculous idea. But fine, I'll go and watch you and your furry friends howl at the moon if it will make you happy."

"It will, and I thank you, Severus," Lupin said, planting a kiss on his lips. "By the way..." he added, widening his eyes to give himself an innocent and appealing puppy-dog look.

"What?" Snape asked suspiciously, having been on the receiving end of that look often enough to know that it usually meant trouble, or at least a minor--and often embarrassing--inconvenience.

"Will you make your special Sour Cream Dark Chocolate Cake for the bake-off?" Lupin asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not!" Snape huffed. "I don't mind baking a cake for your birthday, but it's undignified for a Potions Master to enter a bake-off!"

"Oh please, Severus?" Lupin wheedled, throwing his arms around Snape's neck. He nibbled on Snape's earlobe for good measure, and whispered in a husky voice, "I promise to make it worth your while."

Snape wavered for just a moment, then got a hold of himself and repeated firmly, "Absolutely not."

***

And yet somehow Snape found himself arriving at the Jamboree with a chocolate cake in hand. "Henpecked by a werewolf," Snape muttered under his breath. "How utterly humiliating."

The Jamboree was already in progress, with a number of laughing children taking part in the games promised in the invitation. The younger children were playing pin-the-tail-on-the-werewolf, and a few of the older children were engaged in a spirited gobstones competition. There was also a crowd of both adults and children eagerly lining up at a "Dunk the Death Eater" booth, where the object of the game was apparently to throw a small rubber ball at a lever, which when struck would drop the platform that the "Death Eater" was sitting on, and dunk him into the tank of water below. The prizes were plush toy wolves--a fact that didn't surprise Snape at this point, although he did sigh and roll his eyes.

The "Death Eater" was actually one of the Weasley twins--Snape wasn't sure which one--clad in black robes, and he had already been dunked several times, judging by the sopping wet state of his clothing. But he laughed good-naturedly as the ball struck its target yet again, and he fell into the water with a loud splash.

Snape shook his head as they walked by, and muttered darkly, "I hope no one gets any ideas about trying to put me in that booth."

"I think that everyone here values their life too much to attempt such a thing," Lupin chuckled.

"You never know," Snape replied sourly. "I see a number of Gryffindors here, and your House has always been lacking in common sense."

"Not all of us," Lupin said affectionately, slipping his arm around Snape's waist. "I chose you as my mate, didn't I?"

"As I said, lacking in common sense," Snape said gruffly, though he was secretly pleased by Lupin's gesture and his words. "Even a werewolf could do better than a former Death Eater and murderer as a partner."

"You are a courageous war hero, my love," Lupin said firmly. "And I will bite anyone who says otherwise." He snarled comically and bared his teeth.

Snape couldn't help but laugh. "Watch yourself, werewolf; you might have to eat your words. I'd like to see you try to bite Molly Weasley!"

Lupin pretended to cower behind Snape. "Not her--I'm too afraid she'll bite back! Or at least whack me on the head with a frying pan."

"Or hit you with a Killing Curse, as she did Bellatrix," Snape said dryly. "She has quite a command of Dark Magic for a supposedly harmless housewife."

"I suppose it was a mother's instinct to protect her child," Lupin said in a more serious voice. "I don't think she normally goes around practicing Unforgivable Curses. And I'm sure she doesn't really consider you a murderer, Severus, although she is still, er, holding a bit of a grudge."

"It's her mother's instinct, Lupin," Snape said resignedly. "She's never going to forgive me for cutting George's ear off." A Ministry hearing with testimony from Potter and Dumbledore's portrait had officially proven his innocence, but Molly Weasley still glared at him whenever their paths crossed.

Poor Lupin was caught in the middle; he was friendly with the Weasley family, but Molly would always pointedly invite only him over for lunches and dinners, and Lupin politely declined to go where his mate was not welcome, though he still associated with the various Weasley brats. Snape heartily despised the woman for trying to use emotional blackmail on Lupin, but in a way, he was almost grateful, because he was touched by Lupin's loyalty to him. Twenty years ago, Lupin had chosen loyalty to the Marauders over a possible friendship with Snape, and Snape had resigned himself to coming in second to Lupin's friends once again. But over the years, the werewolf had finally grown a spine, and Snape had never been so proud and happy as the moment when Lupin had turned down that first invitation to the Weasleys' for a Sunday brunch.

"She has no reason to hold a grudge," Lupin sighed wearily. "We explained to her that you weren't aiming at George, and for Merlin's sake, you even healed his ear!" Snape, being both the inventor and the caster of the Sectumsempra curse that had wounded George, had been able to heal the injury and re-grow the severed ear when even St. Mungo's best Healers couldn't. It was the same reason why Alice and Frank Longbottom were slowly beginning to recover now that the Lestranges were all dead.

"I hurt her child, whether permanently or not, and she'll never forgive me for that," Snape replied matter-of-factly. "Not that I particularly care what she thinks of me, though I'm sorry that she's taking it out on you, Remus."

Lupin shook his head and smiled at Snape tenderly. "She's trying to manipulate me, but when she finally sees that I won't give in, perhaps she'll come around. Give it some time; the wounds of the war are still fresh for her. At least George doesn't hold a grudge, and I know that he's told her not to be so harsh on you."

Snape had been surprised by how easily the Weasley boy had forgiven him, once he'd heard about the truth of the incident and Snape's allegiance from Potter. "So you were trying to protect Remus, eh?" he had said with a sly, knowing smile as he glanced at the two of them, and Snape had found himself blushing like a schoolboy, although it had been of some comfort to him that Lupin had turned even redder. George had even thanked Snape for healing his ear, although he had sighed and complained that he wouldn't be able to do his ear joke routine anymore.

"Hello Remus, Severus," Bill Weasley called out as he walked by with a large wolf-shaped pinata. "One of the games for the kids," he explained, when Snape gave him a curious look. "It's filled with Honeydukes sweets."

"I'm sure the children will love it," Lupin said with a smile. "They all seem to be having a wonderful time."

"At least someone's enjoying themselves," Snape grumbled under his breath.

Lupin and Bill both cheerfully ignored him. "I see you brought an entry for the bake-off," Bill said, glancing at the cake Snape was carrying.

"Your powers of observation are as keen as always, Weasley," Snape replied sarcastically, and Bill just laughed good-naturedly.

"Where should we take this?" Lupin asked.

"They're setting up for the bake-off over there," Bill said, motioning to a spot several yards away where a long table had been set up beneath a canopy. "Mum and Fleur are already there."

"Oh goody, I can hardly wait," Snape said sourly.

"Be nice, Severus," Lupin chided as they headed to the bake-off table.

"That would ruin my reputation, Lupin," Snape retorted.

The savory smells of roasting meat wafted out towards them, and they spotted a deer and a boar carcass being roasted over an open fire. A man clad in a patchwork robe made of animal hides grinned and waved at them as he turned the spits with a flick of his wand.

"Hello, Hearne," Lupin said, greeting his fellow werewolf, who was a recluse who preferred to live in the woods, surviving on wild game and produce from his small garden, even though the reformed Ministry had provided housing and job opportunities for the werewolves. He was the type, Snape mused, who would probably enjoy howling at the moon.

Meanwhile, Lupin was saying, "I see that the hunt was successful!"

"Aye," Hearne agreed, still grinning. "There's plenty to feed everyone; we've got a pot of rabbit stew cooking, too." He pointed to a smaller campfire, where another werewolf was stirring a bubbling cauldron of stew. "And Mrs. Weasley's made some roast chicken for those who are a bit squeamish about eating wild game." The werewolf rolled his eyes at the thought of those squeamish city folk, but said, "I must admit, her cooking's very tasty, and tame fowl is a good deal more tender than game birds."

"I'm sure everything will be delicious," Lupin assured Hearne, and they made their way over to the bake-off table, where Snape set down his burden beside Molly's mince pie and Fleur's mille-feuille, a delectable-looking confection made of thin sheets of pastry that were sandwiched between layers of cream. The two women were smiling at each other brightly, but a touch too fiercely for simple familial affection. Mother and daughter-in-law had called a truce for Bill's sake, according to Lupin, but it seemed that a sense of rivalry still existed between them.

"'Allo, Professors," Fleur greeted them warmly in her heavy French accent. "Zat cake looks delicious."

"Hello, Remus," Molly said to Lupin, pointedly ignoring Snape. "That does look good; I had no idea that you were a baker."

"Oh, I can barely boil water and burn toast," Lupin laughed, although he was being overly-modest. "It was Severus who baked the cake."

Actually, Snape would have been happy to let Lupin take the credit, and he flushed slightly as Molly stared at him as if he'd just grown two heads. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "My...I had no idea that you were...well...so domestic, Professor Snape."

Snape gave her a murderous glare as she smiled back at him icily, and Lupin heaved a nearly inaudible sigh. "Eet's not so surprising zat zee Professor can bake," Fleur said sweetly. "Cooking ees not unlike potion-brewing, yes?"

While Snape was debating whether to consider that an insult or a compliment, Molly's attention was distracted by the arrival of Augustus Pye, a young Healer from St. Mungo's, and one of Snape's former students.

"Gus!" Molly cried happily, greeting the Healer with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, her manner instantly changing from cold standoffishness to warm affection. It wasn't just a personal snub of Snape, though--Pye had been the one to discover that Fred Weasley was not dead but merely unconscious, clinging to life by a thread, and he had saved the boy's life, thereby winning Molly's eternal gratitude.

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Weasley," Pye said politely.

"Has St. Mungo's sent you as a preventive measure, to deal with any cases of food poisoning?" Snape inquired, and Molly glared at him, though Pye just laughed.

"No, Professor, it's my day off," the Healer said cheerfully. "I'm here to enter the bake-off." He plunked a rather lumpy and heavy-looking brown loaf down onto the table. "I'm an amateur baker, and spice bread is my speciality." He saw Snape's doubtful look and added, "It tastes much better than it looks, I assure you."

"I'm sure it's wonderful," said Molly, with slightly forced cheer, but Pye did not seem offended.

Other contestants began arriving to deposit their baked goods, an assortment of pies and cakes and cookies. And then Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic, strolled up, smiling proudly as he cradled his son in his arms, with his pretty young wife walking by his side. Teddy Shacklebolt gurgled happily, his skin changing from pinkish-fair to dark brown to match his father's, while his hair changed from a bright blue to match his mother's cotton-candy pink.

Lupin greeted the family with a grin, clapping Shacklebolt on the shoulder, then giving Tonks a platonic peck on the cheek before chucking Teddy under the chin. Tonks smiled hesitantly at Snape, then relaxed as he nodded politely at her. At one time, he had hated the young Auror even more than he had Voldemort, but that was before he had found out that her marriage to Lupin was a sham. She had gotten pregnant after a one-night stand with Shacklebolt, but had not wanted to tell him the truth because he was needed in his post at the Muggle Prime Minister's office. So she had asked Lupin to pretend to be the father, in order to allay suspicions and avoid the scandal of being an unwed mother--although it was debatable whether being a werewolf's wife was any less scandalous.

Lupin had been an unhappy "husband," because he'd known that Snape wouldn't have any way of knowing that the marriage wasn't real. But after the war was over, he and Tonks had explained the truth to everyone, and a dazed and delighted Shacklebolt had proposed marriage to Tonks--it seemed that he had always loved her and had been crushed when she'd "married" Lupin. Tonks had gladly accepted, and they seemed deliriously happy with each other, and Snape was happy enough for them now that Tonks was no longer a rival for Lupin's affection.

"I don't miss being married--no offense, Tonks," Lupin said. "But I do miss little Teddy at times."

"Well, you're welcome to baby-sit him any time you want!" Tonks said with a grin. "Kingsley and I could use a night out alone once in awhile. And Teddy loves his Uncle Remus, don't you, darling?" Teddy cooed in what seemed to be an affirmative response, and his hair changed from pink to silver-streaked brown.

Lupin glanced at Snape, who sighed and replied gruffly, "As long as you don't expect me to change any diapers."

"Thanks, Sev," Lupin said, giving him a hug and a kiss. Molly, who happened to be glancing in their direction, frowned disapprovingly and looked away.

"She's still holding a grudge, I see," Tonks said, frowning slightly.

"It's mostly because of George, but I think she also harbors a grudge against me for 'breaking up' you and Lupin after she tried so hard to play matchmaker for the two of you," Snape informed her wryly.

Tonks blushed and giggled. "I felt like a right idiot, acting like some silly girl in a romance novel, weeping and throwing myself at Remus! You know how Molly loves to meddle, and she'd been trying to get us together for ages, so we thought we might as well play along when I needed a 'husband'. I really am sorry, Severus, but I needed to have someone pose as the father, or Kingsley would've known it was his and abandoned his post to make an honorable woman out of me."

"Of course I would have," Shacklebolt said sternly. "It was my child, after all."

"But the Prime Minister needed you, dear," Tonks replied, patting his arm placatingly. "And the Order needed you there to keep an eye on the Muggle world. It was wartime, and we all had to make sacrifices. But I'm sorry that Molly is taking it out on you, Severus. If she's going to be mad at someone, she ought to be mad at me and Remus, since we were the ones who tricked her."

"But she likes you and Remus, and she doesn't like Snape," Shacklebolt said. "I hate to say it, but Molly can be a bit petty at times."

Snape shrugged. "Well, she'll get over it with time, and if she doesn't...her good opinion never mattered to me that much to begin with."

"Are you here to enter the bake-off?" Lupin asked his friends, changing the subject.

"Oh no!" Tonks laughed. "After being 'married' to me for nearly a year, you ought to know that I can't cook, Remus!"

"And fortunately, I enjoy cooking and am quite good at it, if I do say so myself," Shacklebolt said with a broad grin. "But it wouldn't be fair of me to enter, since I'm one of the judges."

The other judges turned out to be Headmistress McGonagall; Mr. and Mrs. Flume, the owners of Honeydukes; and the ultimate celebrity judge, The Boy Who Lived, a.k.a. Harry Potter.

Potter nodded politely at Snape and gave him a slightly awkward smile. They no longer hated each other, but the long years of acrimony between them made a bosom friendship unrealistic, too. Still, Potter had gotten his name cleared with the Ministry, and they both made an effort to get along with each other for Lupin's sake. In spite of their improved relationship, Snape expected that Potter would cast his vote for his girlfriend's mother. It was certainly the wisest and most practical thing to do, at least from the standpoint of maintaining good relations with his paramour and her family.

But Snape should have realized that a Gryffindor would hardly make the wisest and most practical choice--because much to his surprise, the judges unanimously awarded first place to Snape's Sour Cream Dark Chocolate Cake.

"Deliciously rich and dense," Mrs. Flume praised his creation.

"Not overly sweet, as some cakes are," said Shacklebolt, who had never been fond of sugary snacks.

"It was really good," Potter said enthusiastically despite Molly's glare. "It doesn't even need frosting." The cake was so rich that frosting would be overkill, in Snape's opinion, so he had merely garnished it with a dusting of powdered sugar. However, Lupin had a serious sweet tooth, and preferred the cake to be frosted when Snape made it for his birthdays.

"It has a nice bittersweet flavor," McGonagall opined.

"A nicely subtle and adult taste," Mr. Flume agreed.

Much to Fleur's delight and Molly's chagrin, the mille-feuille took second place, while the mince pie took third. Pye seemed quite pleased that his spice bread ranked fourth, and when Snape tried a slice later, he agreed that it was delicious, and even surreptitiously asked for the recipe when Lupin's back was turned.

"Congratulations, Professor," Fleur told Snape as Molly huffily stalked away to help set up the supper tables.

"Thank you, Miss Dela--excuse me, I mean, Mrs. Weasley," Snape replied, and Fleur smiled.

"Just call me 'Fleur,' if you would, sir--that way no one will confuse me with my mother-in-law."

"I doubt that anyone would ever confuse the two of you," Snape said dryly, and Fleur laughed. "By the way, what happened to your French accent?" It was still there, but much less noticeable than usual.

Fleur grinned. "You mean, why am I not talking like zis? My English has much improved since I first came here, but people seem to expect it of me. And to be honest, Bill finds it sexy, and even better, it annoys the hell out of Molly."

Snape burst into laughter, as did a startled Lupin. "There's much more to you than meets the eye, Fleur," Snape said, regarding the girl with a new respect.

"I hope the contest doesn't cause problems at home, though," Lupin added.

Fleur shrugged indifferently. "Molly just doesn't like it when she doesn't get her way. But she needs to learn to bend a little, or she'll end up pushing her entire family away from her. That's why Bill and Charlie left home to work in other countries, you know--they love their mother, but they got tired of her always trying to control them."

"I don't like the way Molly's behaving right now, but I hate to think of her being all alone," said the soft-hearted Lupin with a troubled look on his face.

Fleur smiled serenely. "She can't stand to be alone, so she'll eventually reconcile with everyone. It will just take some time for her to swallow her pride."

"Well, we will be gracious when she chooses to make overtures of peace," Lupin said. "Won't we, Severus?"

"If you insist," Snape sighed, and Lupin and Fleur laughed.

"Actually, I do like Molly," Fleur said. "I just want to make it clear that I'm not going to let her push me--and Bill--around."

"I'd say you're doing a good job of that," Snape acknowledged.

"By the way, Professor," Fleur said, blushing. "Bill and I want to start a family, and I was wondering if, well, you could recommend a potion to help things along? We've been trying since the war ended, but nothing's happened yet. The Healers say we're both healthy and there's no reason why I shouldn't conceive."

Torn between embarrassment and amusement, Snape said gravely, "It has not been that long yet, Fleur; these things take time. I could make you a potion, but Fertility Magic has certain inherent risks for the mother, so it would be better to be patient and continue to try the, ah, natural way. Give it another six months, and if you still haven't conceived, then we can discuss your options."

"I suppose you're right, Professor," Fleur sighed. "Thank you very much."

Fleur left to join her husband, who was helping to carve and portion out the venison, and Lupin chuckled. "It's funny how some people get pregnant by accident when they don't really want to, while the ones who want babies seem to have trouble conceiving. Although I'd say that Tonks and Kingsley consider Teddy to be a very happy accident."

"Fleur might regret her wish to be pregnant when she's throwing up every morning and asking me for an anti-nausea potion instead," Snape said dryly.

"It will all be worth it in the end," Lupin replied, then grinned. "Although it's easy for me to say that, since I'm not the one giving birth."

***

Bill soon announced that supper was ready--it was being served early while the sun was still out, so that the werewolves could eat before their transformation. Lupin and Snape found seats next to Tonks and Shacklebolt, and tucked into their meal, which Snape had to admit was very good. The venison and boar was a little gamy, but still tasty, and Hearne had marinated them in a blend of herbs that had tenderized the meat, so it wasn't as tough as wild game normally was.

The rabbit stew was also good, and whatever Molly's other faults were, her cooking was excellent as always, and her roast chicken was tender and flavorful. The other Jamboree participants had contributed a variety of dishes to supplement the meal: salads, vegetables, breads, rolls, and mashed potatoes, as well as a variety of drinks, including pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and ale.

And for dessert, there were all the bake-off entries: most of the contestants had made large portions so that they could be shared at the potluck dinner. Even though Snape was full nearly to bursting from the main meal, he still managed to find room for a piece of Fleur's mille-feuille and another slice of spice bread, and he let Lupin coax him into trying tiny bites of the other entries. Even the losing entries were all delicious, with the possible exception of Hagrid's rock cakes, which Snape avoided out of self-preservation. An unsuspecting Hearne, who was not aware of Hagrid's reputation--or lack thereof--for cooking, broke a tooth on one of the cakes, but fortunately, Pye was on hand to provide a quick healing spell.

Even though everyone ate heartily, there was still plenty of food leftover when the last person had pushed away their plate and groaned that they couldn't eat another bite. As everyone lounged about lethargically, attempting to digest their meals, one of the werewolves pulled out a guitar, and soon there was an impromptu singalong going, as people gathered around the campfire and sang everything from folk songs to the latest Weird Sisters tunes. Lupin joined in enthusiastically, while Snape was content to sit on the sidelines and nurse a mug of butterbeer.

The sun began to go down, and the children who only an hour or so ago had been too full to eat another bite suddenly had room for another snack when one of the twins conjured up a bag of marshmallows, and the other whittled some twigs into skewers for toasting.

"This sort of reminds me of camping in the woods," Potter said with a grin as he watched his marshmallow puff up and turn golden-brown over the fire.

"Please do not even mention the word 'camping' to me again!" Hermione Granger groaned. "I've had enough of camping to last a lifetime! My next vacation will be spent in a nice hotel with air conditioning and room service!"

"Mmph mmph!" Ron Weasley said in what sounded like a grunt of agreement, although the words were garbled by a mouthful of marshmallows.

"And don't talk with your mouth full, Ron!" Granger and Molly scolded in chorus.

"Marshmallow?" Lupin asked, offering a skewer to Snape, who shook his head.

"My stomach will burst if I eat one more bite."

So Lupin ate the marshmallow instead, munching happily on the sugary confection, but Snape noticed that there was a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead and his face looked a little pale, although it was difficult to be sure in the fading light. "It's almost time, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

Lupin nodded. "I can feel the pull of the moon."

As the sky grew dark, the singing stopped, and the guitar and marshmallows were put away, and the werewolves separated from their human companions to gather in a circle around the fire. Snape made sure that everyone kept their distance; the Wolfsbane kept the werewolves sane, but it was possible to accidentally injure someone who was standing too close to them while they thrashed about in the throes of the transformation.

The moon emerged, shining its bright, silvery light on the werewolves below, who groaned in pain as their bodies began to change. Molly flinched at the sounds of bones cracking as they reshaped themselves, and quickly looked away, but Fleur gazed steadily at the changing werewolves. Perhaps it helped a little that Bill did not undergo a full transformation, but only became a little hairier, with lengthened canine teeth and fingernails that elongated into talons. On the other hand, the French girl was nowhere near as delicate as she looked, and Snape thought that she would not have turned away even if Bill had been a full werewolf.

As for Snape, he was used to the transformation by now, having watched Lupin's many times, but it was still a little unsettling to watch so many werewolves transform at once. To steady himself, he focused his attention on Lupin, watching as his face lengthened into a snout, and clothing magically melted away and transformed into a layer of thick fur. Snape was pleased to see that the transformation was quicker and less painful than it had been when Lupin had first started taking the Wolfsbane. The recent improvements he had made to the potion had helped considerably, along with the werewolves learning to accept and not fear the animal side of themselves.

Many of the werewolves had crouched down on the ground as they transformed, but now they shook themselves, like a dog waking up from a nap, and rose up to stand on two legs. Werewolves did not so much resemble real wolves as they did a sort of man-wolf hybrid, with a humanoid body entirely covered with fur, and a wolf's head.

Their fingers were thicker and clumsier than a human's, and tipped with long talons, so playing a guitar was out of the question. However, they were still capable of grasping a pair of drumsticks, and one of the werewolves--Snape thought it was Hearne--began pounding out a beat on a large drum made of some sort of animal hide stretched over a squat wooden cylinder.

The werewolves threw back their heads and howled joyously, and began dancing around the fire to the beat of the drum. Molly shuddered slightly and said, "The games and the picnic were fine, but this...it's so...well..."

"Primal?" Granger helpfully suggested.

Molly shuddered again and nodded. "Yes, so...animalistic."

"Well, zey are animals, in a sense," Fleur pointed out. "Eet's no sense pretending zey are not."

Molly frowned and looked as though she were about to argue, but Granger agreed, "Yes, that's true. I know that the 'getting in touch with your inner wolf' thing sounds a bit silly, but I think it's absolutely necessary. Professor Snape's research proves that fighting the wolf only makes the transformation more painful, and from a moral and psychological standpoint, I think it's important that werewolves learn not to be frightened or ashamed of their condition. It's not their fault, after all, and with the Wolfsbane Potion, they can lead a perfectly safe and productive life, the same as anyone else."

"With the exception of turning furry once a month," Ron muttered under his breath.

Molly still looked unhappy, and glared at Snape as if this were all his fault, but then Arthur said cheerfully, "Well I think it looks like great fun! What party couldn't use a little dancing to liven it up?"

The werewolves began beckoning their human friends and family to join in, and the children eagerly ran over to join their parents. One werewolf's wife was a little reluctant, until her husband went over to gently grasp her hand with his taloned paw and pull her into the circle as she laughingly protested. But she soon got over her shyness and was dancing as exuberantly as the wolves before long.

The twins, of course, needed no urging and immediately ran over and joined in. Ron turned to Granger, bowed comically, and said, "Would you care to dance, milady?"

Granger laughed and said, "Well, I don't know...I've never done that sort of dancing before."

"Come on, let's get primal!" Ron urged, and Granger's face turned bright red. "Why are you blushing, Hermione?" he asked, then grinned mischievously. "Ooh, are you thinking something naughty? What a dirty mind you have!"

Granger punched him none too gently on his upper arm in revenge, but she allowed him to take her hand and pull her into the circle of dancers, and soon they were laughing and dancing unabashedly--without much of a sense of rhythm, but no one else seemed to notice or care.

"Come on!" Ginny said, grabbing Potter's hand, and they ran over to join their friends, ignoring Molly's protests. Fleur had already joined Bill, and was dancing with the fluid grace of a veela, causing the men to pause and stare appreciatively, until Bill growled and bared his teeth, only half-jokingly.

The dancing seemed to be making the werewolves hungry--or maybe it was just the transformation, which used up a lot of energy. Lupin was always starving on the morning following the full moon. So they ran over and grabbed chicken drumsticks and joints of meat from the leftovers, gnawing on them as they danced, and brandishing the bones once they were picked clean. Fred and George imitated them, wielding a deer rib and a chicken leg respectively as they cavorted around the fire, much to Molly's disapproval.

Soon everyone but Snape, Molly, and Arthur were dancing--even Shacklebolt and Tonks, although the latter was dancing rather awkwardly, since she was holding Teddy in her arms. On the other hand, maybe it had nothing to do with the baby, since she had always been awkward and clumsy for as long as Snape had known her. Still, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, as was Teddy, who was giggling and clapping his hands together, not quite in sync with the drumbeats.

Arthur was staring wistfully at the dancers, and his foot was tapping the ground in time with the drum, and Molly said threateningly, "Arthur Weasley, don't you dare...!"

A sweaty Pye, who had paused to take a break from the dancing to get a glass of cold pumpkin juice, noticed the scene of marital discord, and walked over and whispered something to Hearne. The werewolf nodded and slowed down the beat of the drum, and Pye picked up the guitar and began playing a more melodic and romantic tune. Couples began to slow dance, arms wrapped around each other, and Fred and George made a show of waltzing together as the others laughed.

"It's been a long time since we danced together, my dear," Arthur said fondly, with a mischievous little twinkle in his eyes as he held out his hand to her.

"Oh, you," Molly sighed, but she smiled and took his hand, and they walked over together to the campfire and began to dance as the werewolves cheered (or rather howled) and applauded approvingly.

"You've still got it, Dad!" Bill said with a grin, clapping his father on the shoulder with his taloned hand.

Molly blushed, looking almost girlish in the firelight, which softened the lines of her face. "Of course he's still got it!" she retorted. "You boys have quite a ways to go before you can equal your father!"

Her sons all laughed, and Bill said, "You're absolutely right, Mum!" The dancing resumed, and Molly seemed to be having a good time in spite of herself. Perhaps she would learn to bend a little, sooner than Fleur had anticipated.

Snape didn't want to make a fool of himself dancing, but he was beginning to feel a little left out, being the only one still on the sidelines. Lupin loped over to him, tongue lolling from his mouth as he grinned.

"You look like a pet dog when you do that, you know," Snape informed him, and Lupin barked cheerfully. Werewolves had only a short stub of a tail compared to a true wolf's long and bushy one, but Lupin wiggled his furry rump enthusiastically.

"Stop that!" Snape said crossly. "It looks obscene!" Lupin made a snorting sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh and affectionately licked Snape's face.

"Ugh, how many times have I told you not to slobber on me," Snape grumbled, wiping his face on his sleeve. Lupin whined apologetically, but Snape could see the unrepentant gleam of laughter in his eyes. Snape fought back a laugh of his own, and sternly kept his mouth fixed in a grim scowl, although his lips kept wanting to curve upwards in a smile.

Lupin tugged at Snape's hand and pointed towards the fire with a taloned finger. "Absolutely not," Snape said firmly. "I do not, repeat do not dance." Lupin whined pathetically and made puppy-dog eyes at him. "Oh, all right," Snape gave in with a sigh, feigning more reluctance than he really felt. "Just stop looking at me like that!"

So they joined the other dancers, and Snape wrapped his arms around Lupin's furry body, and they rather awkwardly swayed from side to side, more or less in time to the music. Snape felt incredibly self-conscious at first, but gradually relaxed when no one paid them much heed.

The twins went over to relieve Hearne so that he could dance, and began pounding a wild beat on the drum, using leg bones from the deer carcass in place of drumsticks. The humans cheered and the werewolves howled, and everyone began to dance faster--hips swaying and gyrating, arms waving, or simply jumping up and down in place, depending on the dancer's tastes and abilities. Molly and Arthur were laughing and shimmying like a couple of teenagers as their brood stared at them in shock.

Lupin barked happily, grabbing Snape's hands, and for once in his life, Snape forgot about dignity, and he laughed and gave himself over to the music as they danced beneath the light of the moon.

THE END.

***

Afterword:

This was just going to be a short, humorous piece where Lupin dragged a reluctant Snape to a werewolf jamboree but somehow I got sidetracked into a major Weasley subplot. I was going to have Fleur and Snape have a short conversation about how they felt about their mates getting together to howl at the moon, but somehow it turned into a sort of bonding experience between two people who'd felt the wrath of Molly Weasley.

Now in my Always series, I write Molly as she appears to be on the surface, the kind, motherly woman whose only fault is maybe being a little too overprotective of her kids. But taking a closer look at her, she can be petty at times--like when she sends Hermione only a tiny chocolate egg for Easter after reading the malicious gossip in Witch Weekly. And really, she should know better than to believe a tabloid! I guess people in the wizarding world aren't used to seeing fair reporting, but Hermione is someone she knows, a friend of her son's--shouldn't she at least get both sides of the story before judging the poor girl? And I think she cut off Bill's ponytail in DH, right? A grown man ought to be able to decide what kind of hairstyle he wants, even if his mother doesn't like it. I read some meta--can't remember exactly where, might have been the Fiction Alley forums or hp_essays--that said it was significant that two of the Weasley kids took jobs far away from England, and that they may have been trying to escape their mother's control.

And then there's the whole bitchy feud between her and Fleur. I did not like the portrayal of Fleur in HBP, except for that scene in the hospital wing, where she proves that her love for Bill is sincere when she says that she doesn't care what he looks like. Of course, we're viewing her through Harry's limited viewpoint, but she comes off as vain and shallow. And she probably is a little vain, but she also has to be intelligent and talented enough for the Goblet to have selected her as a champion. I always figured that Fleur would be smart enough to charm her future mother-in-law and get on her good side, so I was surprised that she seemed to be going out of her way to antagonize her. So I wondered, what if Molly was the one who started the feud, by acting like Fleur isn't good enough for Bill?

Maybe it's also because I've read snegurochka_lee's awesome story, Five Women Who Hate Fleur Delacour, which shows a much more complex and sympathetic Fleur.

http://community.livejournal.com/femgenficathon/53437.html

And man, I hate trying to write Fleur's accent, so I played it off as sort of a joke, where she can speak good English, but puts on the accent as an act for certain people. Hmm, now that I think about it, I may have unconsciously lifted that from snegurochka_lee's story--sorry, it wasn't intentional! But I really do hate writing that accent--just as much as I hate trying to write the house-elves' speech pattern with their weird grammar, which is why I try to avoid writing too much about the elves. In my Always series, I pretty much gave up on Fleur's accent and said that her English has improved a lot, occasionally throwing in a "zis" or "zat". ;)

So anyway, I wrote this Molly as being a little bitchy and controlling and definitely having a big chip on her shoulder about Snape. I don't think that she would easily forgive anyone who hurt one of her kids, whether it was an accident or not. But then I started thinking that maybe I was making her too much of an ogre, so I softened her a little at the end, and gave a hint that she would change for the better.

Now that I think about it, the whole Weasley thing started when I wrote the line where Snape wasn't sure which twin was in the dunking booth, and then I realized that I'd forgotten that Fred had died in canon. I was just going to make the story AU, but then I introduced Kingsley and Tonks, and I thought I needed to explain that too, so I figured, what the heck, let's just make it a post-canon-DH story where the people who "died" were really just unconscious, and were healed after the battle. I had a lot of fun making up the story about Tonks's sham marriage, because it's always been my pet theory that Teddy was really Kingsley's! ;)

Augustus Pye is a canon character--he's the Trainee Healer who attempts to use Muggle medical techniques in OotP by stitching up Arthur's snakebite wound. He's only mentioned in passing in the book, but I fleshed him out a little as a minor supporting character in my Always series (he appears towards the end of "Aftermaths"), so I sort of borrowed that version of him, or at least his personality, for this story.