Severus Snape (ensnared_senses) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2008-03-28 21:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, remus, serenus, severus, tybalt |
(Mis)Fortune
Characters: Remus, Severus, Serenus, Tybalt
Summary: Fortunes and (in)feri.
"She should be around here somewhere... if I know my Gran, she'll have the best spot in the Festival - just off the beaten path, yet perfectly obvi... Yes. Like right there."
Tybalt pointed toward the jewel-toned tent which sat back from the noisier attractions surrounding it, yet couldn't be overlooked due to its over aloofness from the more mundane things around it. Madame Celestra - Gypsy Fortuneteller was all the sign outside read, but it was enough to attract attention. Or it would be, once the sun went down and more people flocked to Hogsmeade to enjoy the balmy spring weather and the delights of the Festival.
Which was precisely what Remus, Severus, Serenus, and Tybalt were intent upon doing themselves. They had already been through once, earlier in the day, but that had been with five children in tow, which meant dealing with cranky babies, dirty diapers, smudged faces and sticky hands. The adults had had their hands full helping the children have a nice time, but now the wee ones were ensconced at Snape Manor with Ethelenda and Nanny Stella, leaving the adults free to actually look at things they had missed earlier, when dragon rides and fluorescent candy floss had been the order of the day.
Cymbeline had been none too pleased about being left out of the adult activities, and Remus had had to reassure her that she wasn't being excluded and left with "the babies" as punishment. She'd grumped and fussed and seemed on the verge of an even stronger display before Severus had given her A Look and she'd subsided with a grumbling sigh, resigned to "helping" with the babies as an older cousin and sibling should. Tybalt made a mental note to have Severus teach him and Serenus that quelling glance, since he had the sinking feeling that young Master Etienne was going to be in need of it in the not too distant future. Fortunately for today the Savage Snapes (which Tybalt still grinned about calling his sons) were content to settle down with cups of pumpkin juice, their eyes already drooping from the busy excitement of their outing.
Squeezing Serenus' hand, Tybalt smiled coaxingly. "So, are you prepared to have your fortune told... again?" he asked his husband quietly. "No pressure if you'd rather not, you know. Gran will love to see us anyway."
"I'm prepared," Serenus replied, giving Tybalt's hand a reassuring squeeze in return. "She didn't tell me anything bad before, after all, just a hard truth - and she was right. I'd like to see how different my fortune is considering how different my life is compared to how it was then." He raised one eyebrow, his expression half-questioning and half-teasing. "What about you? I recall she advised you to be patient, and you didn't listen," he said archly.
"Yes, well," Tybalt said, flushing slightly, his expression sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Just because I know Gran is always right doesn't mean that it's any easier to follow that advice. Especially since I felt so driven to follow my heart."
Remus squeezed Severus' hand, pressing against Severus as they stood outside the tent. He had mixed feelings about having his fortune told, especially since he had a feeling Celestra had known what he was the moment she'd met him. But he agreed wholeheartedly with Tybalt's sentiment about following his heart.
"I know how that feels," he said, a mischievous smile curving his lips, and he looked at Severus coyly from beneath his lashes. "Sometimes you can't resist doing anything and everything you can to win the one you love. Even if it means dressing up in leather, singing in front of a huge crowd of people and being called... what was it again, Severus? A middle-aged fool? I don't have Tybalt's memory, but that's probably a good thing."
"I believe my comment was something along the lines of calling you a middle-aged fool tarting yourself up to no avail," Severus said, shooting a mild glare at Serenus when he heard a snicker from his brother's direction. "I also told you to peddle your tawdry wares elsewhere, but like Tybalt, you didn't listen."
"Fortunately for you," Serenus said, grinning.
"If you expect an argument on that point, you are doomed to disappointment," Severus replied tartly.
"I feel so wanted," Remus chuckled, craning up to give Severus a smacking kiss on the cheek. "Well, if reminiscences are over, I suppose we should go in?"
"Probably - since she no doubt knows we're out here anyway," Tybalt said. He drew in a deep breath, then took a step toward Celestra's tent. "Maybe we can even talk her into tea."
"Tea would be lovely," Serenus agreed as he stepped forward with no hesitation and tugged Tybalt into the tent behind him, looking around for Celestra expectantly.
Severus followed along behind the other couple, his eyebrows climbing as he took in the decor inside the tent, the scent of incense filling his nose; he wasn't apprehensive about whatever fortune Celestra might foretell, but he didn't release Remus' hand, not wanting to look more stand-offish with his partner than Serenus was with his. He would never admit it aloud, but Celestra reminded him of McGonagall, and he found himself feeling more like an errant schoolboy in her presence than he had when he was an errant schoolboy.
Celestra was seated on a low stool in front of her table, a bright scarf tied around her head and enormous golden hoops dangling from her ears. Her dark eyes sparkled as she looked at the four of them, and she inclined her head toward a pot and five cups arranged on a tray on another table at the side of the tent. "There is your tea," she said, arching a brow at them. Then her eyes narrowed speculatively, and she gave a snort. "And my, haven't the four of you been naughty boys since I've seen you last!"
Tybalt had been in the process of rounding the table to give his grandmother a hug in greeting, but he stopped suddenly, eyes widening at her last statement. "Er... we have?" He shot Serenus a look that wasn't quite panic stricken.
Celestra waggled a finger at her grandson. "Don't give me that look, young man!" she scolded him, then glanced at each of them in turn. "You all know just what I'm talking about. Brotherly love? Ha! Well, to be young and randy again... I can't say as I blame any of you; you're an uncommonly attractive lot, even my hulking Tybalt."
Remus stood still, mouth dropping open in surprise. "But... how..."
Serenus returned Tybalt's wide-eyed, panicked look, feeling heat flood his cheeks, and he wished the ground would open up and swallow him then and there. She knew? How was he ever supposed to look her in the face again?
Severus, on the other hand, didn't bother to hide his smirk; her remark had put him more at ease rather than embarrassing him since she seemed to be teasing, not censuring them, and he wasn't ashamed nor could anyone successfully shame him about what he had shared with his family. It was no one else's damned business what they did or why they did it, and none of them were being hurt by it; on the contrary, it had strengthened their ties.
"Especially your hulking Tybalt," he replied, one corner of his mouth curling upward as he gazed down the length of his nose, tilting his chin up in a defiant gesture.
Tybalt blushed at Severus' praise, and he gave his brother-in-law a look that mingled surprise and pleasure. "Well, Snapes are irresistible, I have to admit," he replied. He was as embarrassed as Serenus that his grandmother apparently knew, but he also had more experience dealing with his grandmother, and so he resigned himself to her knowing this, just as she had always known every mortifying thing about him his whole life. He wrapped an arm around Serenus protectively, though, and raised his chin as he faced Celestra. "Not that it really concerns you, grandmother."
Celestra snorted again, waving dismissively. "Boys, boys, if you think that's the oddest thing I've ever seen in my life, then you don't know much about people," she replied. Then she smiled at Serenus. "Don't worry about it, Serenus. You have no more need to be embarrassed than your twin. There is little enough love in this world, you know. To be so richly blessed as you are is a gift, not a shame. And if it makes you feel better, I don't have Tybalt's memory, either, and no doubt other things will completely push it from my mind in short order."
She turned her gaze to Remus and Severus then, and her smirk answered Severus'. "You both are blessed as well. I've known a few garou and their mates, and it's a special bond indeed, for both partners."
Remus wasn't so much embarrassed as chagrined by her apparent knowledge. He had come a long way from the man who had hidden his lycanthropy for years, along with many other secrets, but he was, at heart, a very private man in most ways. The thought of someone seeing his actions disturbed him in a way he couldn't quite explain, even to himself, but he shook off his discomfort and managed a smile.
"I feel blessed every day that Severus is mine," he said softly. He didn't need to explain that playing with Tybalt and Serenus was fun and enjoyable, but Severus was the love of his life and nothing would ever change that.
"Naturally." Severus offset his haughty response by sliding one arm around Remus' waist; he was not going to voice soppy sentiments aloud in front of others, but he knew Remus understood how he truly felt about their bond.
Serenus leaned against Tybalt, his embarrassment fading, and he drew reassurance from both Tybalt and Severus, letting Severus' confidence bolster his own since it didn't seem that Severus was at all fazed by their secret coming out. "It is a rich blessing that we found our soul mates and can share love with each other as well," he admitted, sounding only a little abashed. "It's unusual and rare, and I feel very lucky indeed."
"You are," Celestra said firmly. "Now all of you sit! You're making my old neck hurt, craning to look up at the lot of you. Tybalt, be a good boy and pour the tea, would you? I would tell you how everyone takes theirs, except you already know and remember, of course." She grinned, apparently very much liking keeping people off guard with her insights.
Tybalt moved obediently to the tray, quickly pouring out servings of the strong, steaming tea and preparing each the way he knew people preferred before passing them around. "Don't let her fool you, gentlemen - she can see some things, but not everything. Just usually the things you most wish no one would see!"
"Well, she is a grandmother," Remus said as he sank down on the thick pillows surrounding the low table. "Mystical or not, I suppose that's one of the gifts she gets just because of that."
"To an extent," Celestra replied, cocking her head to one side and watching all of them with interest. "I do have a stronger sense about members of my family than complete strangers. I probably wouldn't have sensed what I did had Tybalt not been involved. Blood is a strong bond, especially for twins." She smiled at Severus. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if even with your skepticism about divination that you didn't have a wee bit of it when it comes to Serenus, and he with you."
"A bit, yes," Severus admitted as he took a seat on a plump cushion beside Remus, and he accepted the offered cup of tea. "We do have a connection that allows us to be attuned to one another to a certain extent."
Taking a seat on Severus' other side, Serenus accepted his tea and settled in comfortably. "I always felt like something was missing until I found Severus, and since then, I've felt our bond grow stronger. Slowly," he added, giving Severus a playful nudge, "but steadily."
"Which is as it should be." Celestra nodded firmly. "You were supposed to be together, and that bond no doubt would have drawn you toward each other no matter what the circumstances."
Tybalt passed Celestra her tea, then took his place beside Serenus, settling his large frame comfortably on the familiar pillows. "Well I for one am quite glad of that, and no doubt Etienne and Serafino are as well," he said, raising his tea cup in a salute to Serenus, his eyes sparkling with humor and affection over the rim. "A few bumps in the road, perhaps, but now it's all settled down to just where it should be."
"I'll drink to that," Remus chimed in, raising his cup before taking a sip of the strong, sweet tea. Then he looked at Celestra with complete frankness, her manner having made him less nervous, oddly enough, despite the rather personal observations she'd made. "You're only the second person I've ever met who seems to really possess a true talent at divination, and the first one is... well, shall we say a bit flaky, at best. What's it like, actually knowing things about other people and their lives?"
Celestra pondered the question as she sipped her own tea, then sat the cup aside and folded her hands on the top of the table, a multitude of golden bracelets gleaming on her wrist. "I suspect you'd be more familiar with the sensation that most, Master Lupin," she replied, equaling Remus' candor. "A voice whispering in my mind, telling me things, sometimes guiding me in a direction I don't wish to go. Sometimes I have to be completely alone just to drown it out, but it never really goes away."
"Yes, I'm familiar with that," Remus agreed. His free hand came to rest on Severus' leg under the table, seeking the comforting contact of his mate. "Only the voice never stopped, not until Severus learned from Serafina how to suppress the wolf."
Severus rested his hand atop Remus' in a silent gesture of support; he knew how much it meant to Remus to have control over his curse even beyond what the Wolfsbane Potion offered, and he hardly minded having tangible proof that he was the wolf's chosen master.
"The wolf can be rather insistent," he said dryly. "In some circumstances, that isn't an entirely bad thing."
"I'll just bet it isn't," Serenus murmured, slanting an amused look at the other couple.
Remus smiled at Severus, turning his hand over to twine their fingers. The wolf had helped to bring them together, but he knew that it wasn't just the wolf that kept him with Severus. He had met werewolves who had grown to loathe their mates over time, driving a wedge between them without breaking the bond. They were miserable people, and he was eternally grateful that he and Severus genuinely loved each other as well.
"Thank you for explaining," he replied to Celestra, inclining his head.
"You're welcome." The old gypsy smiled, then turned her attention to Serenus. "So, have you come to have your fortune told?" Her smile faded slightly. "Just so you know, I have sensed a lot of... chaos lately. Not specifically directed at any of you, but in general. There are mad things afoot these days - not as with the Dark Lord, mind you, not that focused. I'm sure all of you have seen things."
"Yes," Tybalt grumbled in reply. "People are having accidents all over the place, and the Ministry can't find the cause. It's driving us all mad."
"In Moody's case, that will be a short trip," Severus said tartly before turning his attention to Celestra. "At any rate, yes. I want my fortune told even if no one else does. Preferably something other than a prediction of future naughtiness. That needs no skill at divination to foretell," he added, an amused quirk to his lips.
"I would like mine told, yes," Serenus said, answering her question since it seemed directed at him. "You were right last time, although I'm hoping there won't be any self-inflicted obstacles in my future this time."
"I'll do my best," Celestra replied tartly, although her dark eyes gleamed with mischief again. She reached out across the table. "Give me your hand."
When Serenus placed his hand in hers, she turned it over, palm up, and looked at it closely. Then she closed her eyes, one finger tracing absently over the curve of his lifeline. "I see... increase. Not immediately, but in the near future, your family will grow in size." She opened her eyes, chuckling warmly. "I see more great-grandchildren in my future."
"Really?" Serenus gazed at her wide-eyed for a moment, and then he grinned broadly, delighted by the news. "Brilliant! I know it's a bit soon to be thinking about more children when the boys aren't even a year old, but I do want more children sooner or later, preferably sooner."
"Damn it!" Severus folded his arms and glared, ignoring the startled look Serenus shot him in favor of sulking over having lost his bet with Remus.
"Yes! See, I told you!" Remus said, laughing with delight.
Tybalt was delighted as well, and he wrapped his arms around Serenus and kissed him soundly. "That's fantastic! I bet the twins will be delighted, too!" He wanted more children as well, as many as Serenus was willing to have. He glanced over Serenus' head toward Severus and Remus, though, his eyes full of curiosity. "So, what is that all about?"
"Er..." Remus looked a little sheepish. "See, Severus and I had talked about whether the two of you might have more children. Severus thought not, I thought so... and soon."
"Now I have to be his slave for twenty-four hours because you've suddenly decided to be Mother Hubbard," Severus grumbled, his bottom lip jutting out a little.
"Oh, please." Serenus rolled his eyes, looking at Severus with fond amusement. "As if that will be any sort of trial or torture for you." He glanced at Tybalt then, leaning against Tybalt's side and gave him an affectionate smile. "I won't even ask you to take a turn being the birth parent," he said. "It'll be different for me this time."
Tybalt lifted a hand and caressed Serenus' cheek, his expression soft with love. "You're a wonderful man and I adore you with every fiber of my being. If you want to carry our children, that's fine, but I'm willing to do it, too. I'll do whatever you'd like, because all that really matters is having you and our children in my life."
"I'll make your servitude more pleasurable than you can imagine," Remus said softly, his voice a low growl against Severus' ear. "This was one bet where both of us can win, don't you think?"
Serenus leaned into the caress, smiling. "Well, we can talk about it later," he said. "Right now, it's enough to know that you're as pleased by the idea of having more children as I am."
Remus' growl made Severus shiver, and his sulkiness faded somewhat. "Perhaps it could be," he murmured. He glanced sidelong at Remus, one eyebrow raised in silent challenge. "I suppose it will depend on how clever you are when it comes to making servitude pleasurable."
"I'm very clever indeed," Remus promised, then brushed his lips across Severus' lightly. He felt eyes on him, and turned to see Celestra smiling at him knowingly. "Er... Severus' turn?"
"It is." Celestra raised a brow at Severus, and held out her hand to him. "I had a bit of a feeling about you when you walked in. I find myself eager to see if I was right."
"Oh?" Severus regarded her with growing curiosity, and he offered his hand without hesitation. "A good feeling, I hope, and not an indication of my eminent demise."
"Positive, yes," Celestra said, taking Severus' hand and looking at it with obvious curiosity. "You have found a certain amount of freedom in donning the garb of a woman, haven't you? No, that's not a criticism, merely an observation - you are not the first, nor will you be the last to find it liberating. But it's going to bring you an offer of employment, I see. Something to do with... fashion? Muggles are involved, because they do believe you to be that which you appear to be. Many of them have come to admire you in that guise."
Severus stared at her a moment, taken aback by that prediction. "Muggle fashion? Me? You're having me on."
"I assure you I'm not," Celestra said, her tone almost prim. "I'm not very familiar with Muggle fashion myself, you understand, but I assure you that people are quite impressed with your appearance, and there will be an offer coming to you in the near future. It..."
Suddenly the old woman went pale, the blood draining from her face. Her hand clutched Severus' for a moment, before she released it and stood, swaying on her feet.
"Death... all around us. Everywhere..."
"Gran!" Tybalt shot up as well, stepping toward his grandmother with a look of panic on his face. "What is it?"
That was when they heard the screaming.
Old instincts brought Severus to his feet with his wand drawn, and he was moving toward the entrance of the tent before he had consciously thought about it; a glance outside showed pandemonium, but he couldn't tell what was causing it. No matter the source, something was attacking the festival, and it didn't matter to him whether it was Death Eaters clinging to former habits, Bellatrix, or some new, unfamiliar threat; he was going to find out what it was and deal with it.
Tybalt was looking after Celestra, and so Serenus jumped up, drew his wand, and followed Severus; he hadn't been tried in a real fight, but he had been training with the best - Severus, Tybalt, and Harry - and he didn't feel like a liability anymore. "What is it?" he asked, trying to peer around Severus. "What's going on?"
Remus was right on Severus' heels, wand out, his lycanthrope senses seeming to quiver suddenly. Outside there was an unmistakable scent of decay carried on the wind. "Corpses, old ones," he growled. "What in the hell is going on?"
Tybalt was torn between his grandmother's condition and the sudden departures of the others. He helped Celestra as she slumped back down to the cushions, and she was recovered enough to wave him away imperiously. "Go, help them - I'm all right. Protection charms..."
Still he hesitated, worried at her pallor, but she slapped at his hands, her familiar expression returning quickly. "Go on, I said, boy! You've work to do!"
"I love you, Gran," he said, then turned and ran out of the tent, his long legs carrying him toward the identical dark heads he could see over the heads of the people who were scurrying around. Pandemonium had erupted. "Who's attacking?" he asked, glancing around to see if there was a source to the madness.
"I can't tell who is behind this," Severus replied tersely. "Remus says he smells corpses, thus I suspect Inferi, and we know who favors minions of that type."
"Bellatrix." Serenus tightened his grip on his wand, scowling fiercely. He was glad for the chance to face that madwoman again; he owed her for what she had inflicted on him and his family and friends.
"Shit." Tybalt knew where his duty lay, and he drew in a deep breath, wishing he could tell Serenus to go home in order to protect him. He knew that Serenus would have none of it, though, and so he straightened his spine. "Right. Let's deal with this, then." He conjured a quick spell. "There, I alerted Moody - he'll get the emergency signal and know our location, so the other Aurors can home in."
"Good." Remus nodded, but he was busy looking around, lifting his nose to air. "This way! It's stronger over here!" he said, pointing toward the north, where the vendor tents were clustered.
Severus didn't waste any time in heading off in the direction Remus indicated with Serenus close on his heels. As he drew near the vendors, he could see the unmistakable shuffling forms of Inferi closing in on the festival, and he quickened his pace, snarling as he waded into the fray, hurling hexes meant to slice up the wretched creatures; fire spells would have to wait until he was closer without any civilians in the way. He felt no fear, only an exhilaration he hadn't felt since the end of the war, and he relished the chance to unleash his skill and power in battle once more.
Serenus followed close behind, echoing Severus' spell choice; he was apprehensive, not wanting to crumble under pressure, but he could feel Severus' ferocity rising, and he let it bolster him and carry him along. He was repulsed by the rotting creatures ahead of them, but he fought down his revulsion and closed in beside Severus.
Remus was right with the twins as Severus and Serenus bolted off toward the fray, and Tybalt was right beside him. The sight of the Inferi made him growl - these were the real monsters, things set on death and destruction, and he dove into battle, hurling hexes, following Severus' example. "Watch to your left!" he warned his mate, as he saw an Inferi closing in on Severus.
Tybalt kept with the group - it was safer with four of them together, and it would help to keep them from accidentally hitting each other with the curses they were lobbing about. He concentrated on casting Protego on all of them, and then put his wand away; for what he was best at, magic didn't apply.
Auror training included non-magical combat, and Tybalt had specialized in it. It made sense, given his size and strength, plus the fact that his magic wasn't nearly as powerful as he would have liked. He grabbed up two tent poles from the ground, and using them as improvised Escrima sticks he lashed out at the approaching Inferi, smashing into their decaying bodies. He wished for a sword, but given the state of the corpses attacking them, the sticks were almost as good, as limbs flew off the staggering monstrosities from the force of his blows.
Severus whirled left and set the Inferi homing in on him ablaze, smiling with grim satisfaction as it reeled away in flames, the stench of burning flesh mingling with the scent of rot in the air. He edged closer to Remus and Serenus, forming a loose triangle with them; the important thing was to keep the Inferi from advancing any farther, and the three of them could watch each other's backs and try to push back or at least hold off the advancing Inferi with ranged spells while Tybalt used his strength to keep them at bay.
"What the hell is going on?" Serenus watched with dismay the seemingly endless wave of Inferi approaching; there were bodies littering the ground, and they weren't the only ones battling the creatures, and yet it seemed as if they had barely made a dent in the numbers of Inferi. "Did Bellatrix revive an entire bloody cemetery?"
"I would have thought such a feat beyond her," Severus replied. "If she did this, her power has grown more than I ever expected."
"These thing... some of them have been dead a long time!" Remus shouted as he sent another shuffling horror to the ground in flames. "I don't know... they aren't acting right. There's got to be something else wrong here!"
"Definitely!" Tybalt agreed. He was a bit behind the other three, at a length to use his improvised weapons without the danger of hitting them as he brought up the rear. "No one could raise this many, not all at once, and how in the hell would she have gotten them here?"
"Not by any means I can think of." Severus glared at the Inferi as if their appearance at the festival was a personal affront to logic and common sense. "However, the alternate conclusion - that she is not responsible for this - is not one I care to contemplate."
Meanwhile, Serenus was struggling with a particularly stubborn Inferi, and with a Snapean snarl, he made a slashing motion with his wand and sliced off the Inferi's head. "Stay down, damn it!" he demanded as he watched the headless body topple over, and with a last shudder, it went still.
"That's the way, lover," Tybalt said, pausing long enough to grin at Serenus over his shoulder. This was a serious situation, and there was danger, but he couldn't help being amused at the Snapean tone of command issued in Serenus' deep, quiet voice. He struck down two Inferi, one with each staff, but the monsters kept coming. And coming. And coming.
Remus had lost track of how many shambling dead he'd struck down, becoming numb to everything except their relentless progress toward the other side of the Fair. They fought on grimly, the bodies piling up around them like so many fallen logs, until, at last, everything was quiet, except for the groans of the wounded.
Taking a deep breath, Remus stared around the. The entire place as a wreck, and the four of them didn't look much better, sweaty and disheveled, their clothing splattered with mud and grime and other things that simply didn't bear thinking about. Eyes wide, heart sinking, he looked at Severus. "Merlin. This is... unreal."
Severus glanced up from dabbing blood from a few scratches on his arm delivered by the rake of filth-encrusted, jagged fingernails from an Inferi he'd let get too close. "As little as I want to admit it, I'm beginning to doubt Bellatrix is behind this." He looked around, spotting the flap of tell-tale Ministry robes, and he was glad to see the Aurors had arrived; it appeared they were helping mop up and exert some crowd control at last. "Your lot have finally shown up," he said to Tybalt. "Do you need to report in?"
Panting, Serenus bent over his hands on his knees; he considered himself to be in reasonably good shape, but he had never been in a prolonged magical battle like this one before, and he was amazed at how much physical and magical endurance it demanded. "Remind me never to say anything even remotely negative the next time one of you starts telling war stories," he said. "I have new-found respect for anyone who's done this more than once and survived to tell about it."
Tybalt hurried to stand by Serenus, rubbing his back gently to reassure himself it was simply physical exertion causing Serenus to bend over. "You all right?" he asked, then looked up at Severus over Serenus' back. "Yes, I do need to report in, and we should probably find out how other people have fared."
Remus looked about, seeing several wounded people, but all of them seemed mobile. "All right, let's go - we need to tell someone there are hurt people over here, too."
"I'm fine, just winded," Serenus said reassuringly, and he straightened with a wince as his aching muscles protested. Like Severus, he had a few scratches, but that was the extent of his own wounds; the rest was simply fatigue. He tucked his wand away and wrapped his arms around Tybalt for a brief squeeze. "I've never seen you in action before," he added, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "It's quite a sexy sight."
Severus rolled his eyes, but he refrained from commenting aloud; he was too tired to snark, and he turned his attention to Remus instead, sliding one arm across Remus' shoulders. "Yes, let's go. It appears the fighting has stopped here, but we might be useful elsewhere if there are still Inferi roaming at the other end of the festival grounds."
Remus pressed close to Severus' side, sharing his mate's exhaustion, but he smiled at Serenus' comment. "We're all sexy. We're also all filthy. I suspect we need the tub at Snape Manor."
"Sounds good... for later," Tybalt replied. He held Serenus closely, closing his eyes for a moment, thankful they were all safe. "Glad you like what you saw, but all in all, I'd rather avoid any more battles like that."
Drawing in a breath, he kept one arm around Serenus' shoulders. "Let's go find the others, then. And pray they had as much success as we did - then I have to go check on Celestra."
As they made their way through the crowd, a flash of movement overhead caught Severus' attention, and he peered up at the sky and made a tutting noise. "Looks like Potter is here," he said, his lip curling in a sneer, pointing up to a figure on a broomstick.
"Well, at least we know where we ought to go," Serenus said. "Head for the familiar faces, I say."
"Sounds like a plan." Holding on to Severus, Remus started toward where the brooms seemed to be concentrating. He was extremely glad they hadn't had the children with them, and he was looking forward to going home, just so that he could hold them close. It was interesting how staring death quite literally in the face made the living seem all that more fragile and precious.