#5 ~ The Dunderhead's Miracle [PG] (RL/SS; HP/DM) Title:
The Dunderhead’s Miracle 5
Author:bonfoi Rating: PG Pairing: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape; Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy Summary: Rebuilding means forging new relationships…and rediscovering old ones. During the first Voldemort-free Christmas hols, two couples—one brand new, the other separated by time and distance—discover the joys of giving and receiving. Challenge:adventdrabbles 2011: Day 5 ~ Christmas Market Word Count: 883 Genre: Alternate Universe; EWE; Post-Second Voldemort War; Romance; Angst Warnings: Original characters; Deathly Hallows, what Deathly Hallows? A/N: I’m not a happy camper, so perhaps Severus should be? Or, maybe not.
Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
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He’d followed Harry and Draco through Diagon Alley and then into Gladrags where Draco had been right: they had clothing more suited to his tastes. Harry had gotten to buy him a winter robe of midnight blue serge, the edges embroidered with ravens and stars. Neither one of them missed the reminders of Snape, especially when Draco held a corner of the cloak up to Remus’ face and said, “It brings out the boy in your eyes, Lupin.” Severus had said that once, when he’d laid Remus down on a midnight blue coverlet and made him scream, twice.
Remus’ cheeks were still tinged with red as the shop girls giggled over Harry and Draco and the floor manager tried to catch Remus’ eye to show his admiration. He limped as quickly as he could to the door and wrenched it open, leaving Harry and Draco to deal with their purchases.
The memory of holding Severus, of being the focus of such intense concentration, it made Remus whine under his breath. He stared blindly over the milling bodies on the sidewalks.
“Remus?” Harry asked softly as his hand landed on Remus’ forearm.
“Potter, what say we take Mr. Lupin to the Christmas Market that some of the more adventurous Wizarding folk have erected on the frozen Thames?” Draco’s voice was just as soft as Harry’s but Remus heard more than the words. He nodded and began walking haltingly toward the Wizarding way to the Thames. The others followed in his wake.
~o~O~o~
“Mr. Toby! Mr. Toby!” a little boy yelled excitedly.
Severus turned and saw Sean’s little brother hopping from foot to foot. His eyes were gleaming at the fresh treats Severus was setting out in his glass display case. “How may I help you, Seamus?” he asked politely.
“Mum said I could ‘ave one of yer biscuits.” The little boy held up two Sickles. “Did you make any jammy ones?” Seamus asked, his eyes searching the display case.
“Hm, jammy biscuits? I may have. What extraordinary thing did you do to deserve such a treat?” Severus made a show of searching for the sweet, making the little boy bounce from side-to-side.
“I stayed on ma broom,” Seamus said proudly. “Din’t fall off once.”
Severus stood up with a small cheer. “Huzzah! A jammy biscuit for the intrepid broom rider.” He flamboyantly wafted the treat over the display case to Seamus’ hand and then plucked the Sickles from his other one, making the lad laugh with glee.
“T’ank you, Mr. Toby.” Seamus bit into his biscuit and chewed. “Oh, yum! Blackbury, my favorite.” He waved as Severus and left Confectionary Creations.
Severus leaned on the case and contemplated the spot where the boy had stood, imagining a child of his own, of Remus’. He could almost see the bright, intelligent eyes and tousled hair. He could even see Remus standing there, a proud look on his face. Severus shook his head and the images faded.
Remus Lupin was dead. Severus bit his lip and reached for some flour. Baking wouldn’t bring back Remus, but it helped dull the ache. The damned werewolf would have loved knowing Severus knew his favorite recipes by heart and shared them with the world.
~o~O~o~
“Harry, maybe it’s time to let the rest of the world know Lupin’s alive?” Draco asked. His grey eyes were glued to the man in front of them, staring into a glass-blower’s booth, watching the slow spin of the potion’s bottle as the blower brought it closer and took it away from the fire.
“People have seen him,” Harry said. He hunched his shoulders and leaned into Draco’s chest.
Putting an arm around Harry, Draco leaned down and smiled into his boyfriend’s hair. “You taught me a lot about loving someone enough to die for them, Harry. Maybe I need to teach to let someone you love go free so they can find their own love?”
Harry turned in Draco’s loose embrace and looked up into his eyes. “Do you know where Snape is?” he asked softly. “If we could find him for Remus, that would be the best Christmas gift. From both of us, you know.” He kissed Draco’s chin and turned back to watch Remus’ slow progress around the Christmas Market on the Thames.
“I’ll ask my cousins, Harry. You ask your contacts. I wouldn’t mind having Severus Snape around for my betrothal dinner.” Harry stiffened in Draco’s arms and then gave a whoop of joy.
“Yes, I’ll marry you, you git!” he shouted right before pulling Draco’s head down for a thorough snog. Bystanders clapped and wished them well.
“I see he’s finally popped the question, Harry.” Remus’ eyes were tinged with gold, and his smile was more of a grimace, but the hand he held out to Draco was honest. “Congratulations, Draco. I want to wish you many years of happiness. And you, Harry, I want you to find the joy that so few of us can.”
Harry tugged Draco after him and they hugged Remus, thanking him for his kind words. Arm-in-arm, they worked their way through the market, buying Christmas gifts (“My mother’s guilty pleasure is glass animals. Can’t show her one without her taking it home to the glass menagerie.”) and trying to make Remus smile again.