Cliche fic, sort of
Title: The Investigation Pairing: Lupin/Snape Rating: R, for implied sexual activity. Also, Severus is pregnant. Summary: All is well in Brewerton. So why has an Auror suddenly appeared at the village fete? Note: this is a sequel to Of Mutual Benefit. This is a belated birthday/thank you gift for McKay, for all her hard work on Snupin Santa. I hope she likes it! The first section is an expansion of a drabble written for snupin100. Primary cliche is "Tonks is imperio'd," although there are a few others that people will spot.
At the Victory and Remembrance Day celebration and picnic, May 2004
Her hair turned acid green. The two of them - !
"Tonks? What's wrong?"
"How dare they! Out in public - "
"They have the right," said the Auror. "And isn't Remus gay? You really - "
She couldn't stop staring. They were so bloody bold about it, picnicking with their son after the monument to the Battle of Hogwarts was dedicated by Harry Potter and his wife. Remus smiled, and Snape (suspiciously thick about the middle - was he pregnant again?) helped their son stand up to toddle across the blanket. One would think that they were a completely normal family, not a war hero, a pariah, and their unnatural offspring.
"Tonks." Her partner grabbed her arm as she took a step toward . "We're supposed to be working security, not glaring at your ex."
"That little boy deserves a normal life." Her temples pounded at the thought of what childhood with Snape as a parent would be like. "He's probably making the poor thing scrub his cauldrons - "
Patil hauled her back toward the speakers' podium. "Nymphadora. Listen to me. You dumped Remus years ago. He's obviously moved on. So should you."
He was right, of course, she was being foolish - but who was Patil to tell a Black what to do? Snape was a traitor to the Dark and the Light. How could he possibly be trusted with one child, let alone two? Someone had to stop him before he ruined yet another young life, and then Remus would need help raising his son -
"Right." This wasn't the time, and Patil wasn't the partner she needed for this. "Move on. Of course."
She couldn't help staring at the trio (quartet?) as Patil led her toward their duty station.
This isn't over, Remus. Not by a mile.
One week before the Brewerton village fete, late July 2004
"So. You have known the family how long?"
Mother Proctor thinned her lips at the question. She'd worked in an urban parish in Toronto before being moving to Brewerton and had been interviewed by more than her share of social workers and police officers. Murder, sexual molestation, underage drinking, domestic violence - the Church was always called in to pick up the pieces when a family exploded. It should not have been a surprise that an Auror investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect would wish to interview her.
So why did something feel off about this particular Auror investigating this particular family?
"I met Mr. Snape and Mr. Lupin in November of 2001. Mr. Snape wished to have his mother's remains interred in the family plot."
"And he did this - " The Auror's hair was a violent, almost psychedelic shade of pink, the forelock spiked into a peak that curved forward over her heart-shaped face. The spike bobbed a bit as she checked her notepad. " - in accordance with the terms of his grandfather's will, correct?"
"Yes. The family solicitors attended as well." The feeling of wrongness increased as the Auror's hair flared lime for an instant.
"And you next met them when? They moved to Brewer's Rest in January of 2002. Did they begin attending services at your church?"
And what did that have to do with anything? Mother Proctor straightened her spine. She'd already told Auror Tonks and the Friendly Visitor that Alex Lupin-Snape was a normal, happy child who'd never had a voice raised against him, let alone a hand or a switch. Why did she care if his fathers went to church or not? "Not until after the birth of their son. Mr. Snape was very close to term, you know, and I believe he was on medical leave in case of complications. I did visit Brewer's Rest to discuss arrangements for Alex's baptism, however."
"Of course," said the Auror. She wrinkled her nose. "I assume the christening took place on schedule?"
"We had to wait until after Easter, of course, but it took place as soon as the liturgical calendar allowed." Mother Proctor jerked her head up in a nod. It had been a small but happy group that stood about the font in mid-April, even if Harry Potter had turned bright red when it came time for the godparents to renounce Satan and evil magic on the baby's behalf. "It was a private ceremony. Mr. Lupin has brought Alex to church from time to time - charming little boy, but he's far too young to sit through the service - "
"Mr. Lupin?" The forelock turned green again. Mother Proctor could not help blinking at the contrast. "Not Mr. Snape?"
"I did not say that. They both attend, sometimes as a family, sometimes separately." The priest laced her fingers together on her blotter. Neither man seemed to be especially religious, but they took their position in Brewerton seriously, and that meant taking an interest in the local parish and its doings. "Mr. Snape made a generous contribution to the roof fund, as well as financing the renovation of the Prince family pew and the undercroft. We have several fine medieval tombs, including one of Ignotus Peverell's grandparents, and - "
"Yes, yes. I'm certain he's a great philanthropist, with all the money he's inherited." The Auror stood without warning and shrank her notebook to fit in the back pocket of her jeans. "You've been very helpful, Reverend Proctor."
Mother Proctor also stood. She was slightly shorter than Auror Tonks, but it was her church and her study. "Mr. Snape is one of the leading citizens of this parish. I'm happy to help clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen about his family."
Auror Tonks stretched her lips in what could have been a smile. "Oh, there's no mistake. Is there, Esther?"
The Friendly Visitor started at being addressed. "The paperwork - I'll need to check, sorry, it all seems to be in order, an anonymous allegation - "
"Anonymous allegation?" Mother Proctor's mouth fell open. "Good God. Have you spoken to Poppy Pomfrey? She's treated Alex since he was born! Or perhaps Headmistress McGonagall, Alex's godmother - "
"That's not necessary." Auror Tonks grabbed the Friendly Visitor by the arm and steered her toward the door. "We have all the information we need. Thank you again, Reverend - "
"That's Ms. Proctor!" Mother Proctor followed them to the door as they stumbled out into the hot sunlight. "I can't believe the Wizengamot - "
There was a loud crack as Auror and Friendly Visitor vanished. Mrs. Doncaster, the church secretary, hurried out of her office to join Mother Proctor at the door.
"Vicar? What's going on?"
"I'm not sure." The priest gestured at the faintly vibrating air. "An Auror was just here, and - "
"She was asking questions about Alex and his daddies, I'll wager," Mrs. Doncaster said in a voice that implied that there were many better uses for her tax monies. "She's been all over Brewerton this last week, asking if that blessed child is abused! Never have I seen a child more cherished than little Alex, and I told her that first thing. Why, his parents positively dote on him, and Headmistress McGonagall - "
Mother Proctor raised a hand before Mrs. Doncaster could go into a full-blown rant. "The whole village? The Muggles, too?" Brewerton had a small and exceedingly tolerant Muggle population, almost all of them folk who'd married witches and wizards and preferred the slower pace of the Wizarding World. There'd been some clucking about a pregnant man up at Brewer's Rest when the odd little family had first moved in, and surely there would be more now that Alex was due to have a sibling in November, but by and large the village seemed to think that Mr. Snape and Mr. Lupin were a bit of all right.
"I don't think she bothered with them, vicar, except possibly Sergeant Frost. Something about 'alerting him to a possible situation.'" Mrs. Doncaster sniffed. "Elizabeth at the WI wouldn't let her in the door. You know that her niece's friend was one of those poor girls who had the Isolationists take her baby? Well, she asked that so-called Auror why they weren't trying to find the missing children instead of poking her nose where she's not wanted, and would you believe the gel told her to mind her own business? I never!"
"I don't blame you." Mother Proctor rubbed her chin. The village fete was on Lammas, and Alex's parents had agreed to open the grounds of Brewer's Rest for a picnic and fun fair, as the Princes had done for generations until old Theophrastus became too ill. She would speak to Mr. Lupin (not Mr. Snape) about this then. Perhaps he would have some idea what was going on.
At the Brewerton Village Fete, 8 August 2004
The front lawn at Brewer's Rest was unrecognizable. Severus had reluctantly agreed to let the villagers stage the local "fete," whatever that was, when Remus had found records that his ancestors had traditionally allowed "sundrie games and innocent sportes" on or around the first week of August (weather permitting). He had assumed that this meant a few sedate Morris sides whacking their sticks, with perhaps the WI selling strawberries and cream or holding a crafts fair.
He was, alas, wrong.
There were Morris dancers, of course, including a set with blackened faces and clacking cocoanuts. There were also souvenir sellers, one of whom sold animated balloons that made Alex shriek with delight, and food vendors who sold the type of grease-laden fare that nearly made the morning sickness come back. Hand-made quilts hung sedately in a huge canvas tent next to a fun fair of noisy, blinking, clanking rides that looked positively murderous, especially a horror where one sat in a bucket that was swung about in a circle that flattened out as centrifugal force kicked in. Severus could only pray that the ropes or chains or whatever connected bucket to ride would hold. The last thing he needed was dunderheads crashing through the attic roof fast enough to break their fool necks.
The midway and the agricultural exhibits were simply unspeakable. Why would anyone unlucky enough to raise misshapen aubergines actually put them on display? And why would someone else actually judge them?
"Enjoying yourself, love?"
Severus scowled and handed their squirming son to Remus. His partner had somehow acquired a hat made of iridescent balloons, and was that a painted flower on his cheek? "Oh yes. Fun fairs are my secret hobby." He glared over at a sideshow booth that promised to reveal The Mysteries of Snake Charming. "How lovely. A job for Potter when he decides to chuck the MLE."
Remus chuckled and gave Alex a kiss on the check. "You sound as if you could use a rest. Why don't you go have a lie-down while I play Lord of the Manor for an hour or so? You know what Poppy said."
"Poppy is a paranoid old woman. I have been through this before." Severus made a face as the latest offspring performed a perfect somersault in his midsection. This one wasn't usually as active as Alex had been, and he wondered if the noise and the lights and the crowds were bothering her. "I do not need a nap."
"I'll bet you'd like to sit down then - don't deny it, love, you're rubbing your back. Here's the refreshment pavilion."
A flick of his wand, and one of the folding wooden chairs under the large canvas tent obediently became a twin to Severus' favorite armchair. Severus held out one minute longer, then nodded to Remus and carefully settled himself into the thickly stuffed cushions. "Thank you. I'm not tired, just - "
" - six months pregnant and need to be off your feet." It was only when Remus handed over Alex that Severus realized why the chair was a bit wider than normal. "I need to talk to the vicar for a few minutes, love. Do you mind?"
"Of course not." Alex made a sleepy noise and nestled against Severus' side. They'd told him about the new addition as soon as Severus' lap had disappeared, and now he positively seemed to enjoy cuddling "w' Daddy an' th'baby." Severus had no illusions that he would still be so happy about a sibling come November when they'd have a crying, excreting, demanding newborn on their hands, but at least he was behaving now. "He's probably overstimulated by all that noise."
"I daresay you're right." Remus gave Severus a light, lingering kiss. One hand gently caressed his rounded belly. "Get some rest. Perdita - "
"Not Perdita. It means 'lost.'"
"Calpurnia? Hippolyta?" Remus chuckled. "She needs her rest, too."
Severus rolled his eyes at a kick in the general direction of his ribcage. "Tell her that."
"I will, when she's old enough that we'll have to worry about her making us grandparents out of season," said Remus. A second chair morphed into an ottoman and floated over to Severus. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
He waved and disappeared into the crowd. Severus wriggled slightly until he'd found the right position to support his back, wrapped an arm about Alex, and carefully lifted each leg in turn onto the ottoman. The tent was cool and dark, and fortunately was nowhere near the miniature sideshow. He was not nearly as self-conscious with this pregnancy as he had been with Alex, but by all rights he should have been in the freak show, not observing it. Male pregnancy still wasn't common, despite the Longbottoms' oddly gallant attempt to popularize it amongst heterosexual couples. Being accepted here in Brewerton did not mean it was any easier to visit Diagon Alley without stares and whispers, let alone return to Hogwarts as a guest lecturer when that idiot Slughorn was in over his head.
The baby wriggled again, and Alex, half-asleep, pressed his cheek against the bump. Severus stroked his son's wavy dark hair and closed his own eyes. It was hot enough that the Vicar had cast cooling charms on the village children before she led them off to beat the bounds. Alex would be old enough to join them in a few years, and then the new baby….
"Well, well, well. What a charming little scene."
He hadn't been a spy for years, but old habits died hard. He opened his eyes enough to identify the newcomer and loosened his wand in its arm sheath before sitting up a bit straighter. "Thank you, Nymphadora. We quite agree about Alex being charming. Are you considering having your own? I highly recommend parenthood, even though morning sickness and piles are - "
Tonks, her hair shifting through the spectrum in what had once been called "psychedelic colors," glared down at him. A small, nervous woman in a Friendly Visitor's uniform and cape stood to the side, riffling through a sheaf of papers on a clipboard.
"Very funny. Ha - ha - ha." Tonks jerked her head toward the Visitor. "I believe you have the removal order?"
"Yes - well - it hardly seems necessary, does it?" The other woman stopped riffling and peered worriedly at Severus over her half-glasses. "We're interviewed everyone in town, and - "
"Every allegation of abuse and neglect needs to be investigated." Tonks thinned her lips and stared down at Severus and his belly with open loathing. "We'll also need to take him into custody, at least until this one is born. We can't take any chances with a baby."
Severus murmured a spell that pushed him upright without heaving. Alex whimpered sleepily at the change. "I don't know what sort of game you're playing, Nymphadora, but I do not find it amusing or appropriate." His wand slid into his hand with the ease of long practice. "My son is not abused, and he is not going anywhere. Neither am I."
"Mrs. Evelyn? Take the child." Tonks' own wand was out and aimed directly at his chest. "Resisting arrest, are we? Severus, Severus. You should know better. You really should."
Since when did Nymphadora have the nerve to chide him? Or call him by his Christian name? Severus silently cast a protego on himself and the chair. "I do know better, Nymphadora. You have no business being here, and I am giving you one chance to leave me and my son alone."
Her hair flared a violent, almost fluorescent red. "Your son? You should be ashamed of yourself, Severus. There are loving families that would welcome a healthy son, but you? You had your first brat for money, and you stole someone else's man to do it. You should be ashamed of yourself!"
Severus smacked her wand aside with his own. Where the hell was Remus? He might be able to talk sense to Tonks, especially since she was babbling nonsense about "loving families welcoming babies." "Ashamed? Of what? I've broken no laws. You have no business - "
"Daddy? Make her stop!"
He glanced back over his shoulder to see the Visitor kneeling by the chair, her best professionally concerned expression in place as she reached for Alex. "Now, I have some lovely chocolate cake, and a nice family you can live with. Wouldn't you like your own mummy at last? You'll be safe, and it will be ever so much better than - "
"Noooo!" Alex scrambled to his feet and threw his arms about Severus' legs "Daddy! Don' wanna go! Make her stop!"
"Come along, lambkin, the nasty man - "
"NOOOOO!!!! DADDY!"
Severus fired off a stream of sparks over Tonks' shoulder to distract her and dropped to one knee. The extra weight in front was almost enough to overbalance him, but he righted himself before Tonks could react and wrapped his left arm about Alex. "No one's taking you anywhere, Alex. No one!" He glared up at Tonks, his wand already starting to quiver as he prepared another spell.
"What's going on?" Mrs. Doncaster, the church secretary, strode up, half the parish council in tow. She gaped at Tonks. "You again! What are you doing here? We told you there was no - "
"I have a warrant!" Tonks brandished a folded sheet of paper at Mrs. Doncaster. "This child is under a protection order, and - "
"Daddy? Make her go 'way!" Alex sobbed so hard his entire body shook. "Don't let her take me!"
"No one's taking you, Alex." Severus aimed his wand at Tonks. "Get off my property, Nymphadora. Now."
"Your property? Ha! You were supposed to marry, not turn another man gay!" It had to be a trick of the light that made him think of Bellatrix at her maddest. "Mrs. Evelyn, you have your warrant!"
"Well, I don't think that would be in the best interest of the child." The Friendly Visitor wrung her hands and stumbled into a tea urn. Whatever she had been expecting, it had not been a shrieking child or Mrs. Doncaster. "He seems quite attached to Mr. Snape, you know, so wouldn't a bit more study be a good idea? We can all have a nice cuppa and go over the papers together."
"I said take the child!" Tonks roared. Her hair was positively sparking, the length and color changing so fast it hurt to watch. "You've defied me for the last time!"
"Get off my land!" Severus began to prep a stunning spell. He'd be up on charges for that, no doubt, but better to stall until Remus -
There was a loud, abrupt rumble, and the grass shook beneath their feet. Alex howled, something went CRACK!, and the tea urn lurched backwards and dumped hot water onto a plate of fairy cakes. Severus stared in shock as Nymphadora glowed gold for a moment, hair frozen in a glittering halo, and vanished.
Mrs. Evelyn gasped. The head of the Council, a chicken farmer, crossed himself and swore under his breath. And Mrs. Doncaster, sensible woman that she was, wiped her hands on her apron and held out her arm so Severus could pull himself upright.
"What the - " He nearly said hell, but Alex was picking up words quickly enough that it was best not to swear in front of him. "What happened?"
"The house defends its own. Hadn't you heard?" said Mrs. Doncaster. She smiled and tickled Alex under the chin until he stopped crying, then conjured a handkerchief and instructed him to blow hard, dear, mustn't muss your dad's robes.
"The house?" Severus stroked his son's hair. It was gratifying to see the Friendly Visitor scurry toward the front gate without prompting. "I know the family have lived there for generations."
"Aye, it's true." The chicken farmer, dressed in a rusty suit that had probably fit him quite well when he was twenty-five, nodded at Brewer's Rest. "Princes have lived there five hundred year and more. My da always said no one could harm a Prince if they were on the grounds. She knows her own, she does."
There was an outraged yell as two Morris sides, the local quilters' guild, and a furious Mother Proctor and her charges gathered about the gate to the main road. Severus murmured something about being right back before giving Alex a hug and handing him over to Mrs. Doncaster. Was Nymphadora trying to get back in? Or had her shattered corpse materialized in the hedgerow?
Remus, balloon hat gone, rushed up to him as he joined the crowd. "Severus? Are you all right? What happened? I heard the explosion and - "
"We're fine, no thanks to your former girlfriend." Remus' face went dark as Severus explained what had happened. "Jarndyce didn't tell me that the house would do this to an intruder, but - "
"I tell you, I'm an Auror! I work directly for the Ministry of Magic! You have no jurisdiction over me!" Tonks, cheeks nearly as red as her hair, tried to wrench free from the thoroughly professional armlock Sergeant Frost had put on her. A folded piece of parchment stuck out of one hand. "Take your filthy Muggle hands off me this instant!"
"And I work for the police, which means the Home Office, which means Her Majesty the Queen. I think that trumps your Ministry." Frost, an athletic blond who had been assigned to Brewerton after he'd proved too efficient at his job in London, carefully kicked her wand toward Mother Proctor. "I tried to tell you that the boy was in no danger, but you didn't listen. Who's your superior? I'll have to file a report, I'm afraid."
"Superior? I have a warrant! Let me go!" Tonks wriggled herself into position for an attempt at a throw. Sergeant Frost rolled his eyes and jerked her wand arm behind her back.
"If that's what your Ministry calls a 'warrant,' then I'm in the Life Guards. I know wizards have odd names, but having it signed by "Djin Hovnbg' is a bit much, don't you agree?" Tonks' paper fluttered to the ground. "Let's see - so far I have you on trespassing, impersonating a law enforcement officer - "
"I'm not impersonating anything!"
" - attempted kidnapping, attempted assault and battery, possible forgery - "
"Let me go! I - "
Mother Proctor whipped her wand out of her Book of Common Prayer. "Enough is enough - quietus!" She turned to the local children as Tonks went limp and Sergeant Frost began walking her toward his squad car. "Now, this is another important thing to keep in mind, boys and girls. The manor does not like trespassers or threats to the family, and that means Mr. Snape, Mr. Lupin, and their children, so even if we beat the bounds, we mustn't cross the property line without permission."
"Mr. Snape?" The Friendly Visitor, pale enough that her cosmetics looked garish, tugged timidly at his arm. "I - I'm so sorry. I should have checked the warrant more carefully. The Sergeant is quite right, irregularities, I tried to tell Auror Tonks - "
Severus winced at the sound of her voice. His temples ached, and he was all but certain Poppy would want him to lie down until the adrenalin surge wore off. "Madam, I - "
"You need to leave." Remus, calm and steady, stepped between them. "If there's a warrant, it should go to our solicitor. Otherwise, we have nothing to say to you."
The Visitor ducked her head. She looked nearly as miserable as Severus felt. "I'm so, so sorry. I never - "
"You should be ashamed of yourself, you should." Mrs. Doncaster, a weeping Alex still on her hip, shook a blunt finger at the Visitor. "Mother Proctor and I both told you there was no trouble. Alex is a happy little boy, or was until you and that rude, mad gel showed up and - "
The chicken farmer glanced over at two Morris dancers, who both nodded. "Aye. Aurors should keep to finding Dark Wizards, not bothering ordinary folk."
"'Exactly." Mother Proctor broke off her lecture to make a gesture of rejection toward the police car. Tonks, her hair a dull brown, was barely visible in the back seat. "I'm writing to the Minister and my Bishop over this. I've never seen such an egregious breach of civil rights in my entire life."
"Come on, love." Remus took Severus' arm and steered him toward the driveway. "Let's get you and Alex inside the house. Not that I don't trust Sergeant Frost, but I'd rather you were both out of sight."
Severus nodded. The baby was quiet, thank God, but Alex was still sniffling as Remus claimed him from Mrs. Doncaster. "Since when is Nymphadora an Isolationist?
"Isolationist? She isn't." Remus murmured a spell to wash away his son's tears. "She doesn't vote as far as I know, and if she did, she'd probably vote Whig like her mother."
"Really?" Severus paused at the refreshment pavilion for a glass of something cold and fruity. His daughter would wake up in reaction and start battering his internal organs in about five minutes, but it was better than being dehydrated. "Forgive me for being skeptical. She was all but regurgitating her dear aunt's campaign literature back there, some rot about loving homes for babies, and how I should have married a woman if I'd wanted children instead of stealing you."
Remus stared at him. "Dora said that? She didn't - we broke up because she didn't want children. What the - "
The police car was pulling away from the village children (at least one cocking a snook behind the Vicar's back) and the revelers. The Friendly Visitor had vanished, probably gone back to the nearest Auror station to report that Tonks was in Muggle custody. Severus smirked. "Too bad Narcissa is under house arrest. I'd give a great deal to see her reaction to yet another scandal involving her sister's family."
"I wonder." Remus took his hand and started toward the house. "You and Alex take a nap, love. I'll do some checking. There's something off about this."
"That's putting it mildly," said Severus. He hesitated as they stepped into the front hall, then kissed Remus with a bit more fervor than he'd intended. "Be careful."
"Always." Remus kissed him back. "Always."
AUROR ARRESTED IN BREWERTON; Worked Security for Narcissa Malfoy
By Petra Schwormbach/Daily Prophet staff
Auror Second Class Nymphadora Tonks, 31, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, forgery of documents, and attempted kidnapping during the village fete in Brewerton, Wilts.
Auror Tonks, a veteran of the late unpleasantness, was apprehended by DS Nicholas Frost and his partner, DC Daniel Pegg, after she disrupted the festivities by suddenly apparating into a mixed Muggle/Wizarding crowd and trying to force her way into a local dwelling. When confronted, Auror Tonks threatened the crowd with her wand and was disarmed by DS Frost. After processing at the local constabulary post, she was turned over to the MLE.
The Ministry have declined comment, but sources tell the Prophet that Auror Tonks was examined upon transport to London and found to be suffering from the Imperius curse….
Remus paused in the doorway to the nursery, the special edition of the Prophet and a box of Severus' favorite chocolates tucked under his arm. His mate was dozing in the old wooden rocking chair, Alex curled against the unborn baby, and for the first time Remus let himself shiver at the thought of losing them all.
"Severus?" The dark eyes opened a fraction. "I brought you something."
"If that's a bouquet of flowers - "
"Honeyduke's extra-bitter dark, and the late afternoon paper." Remus helped Severus sit up a bit straighter. Alex murmured in his sleep and threw an arm over his father's waist. "There's an article on page four you should read."
Severus rubbed his belly as if making sure that he was still pregnant, then unfolded the paper. His eyes narrowed as he read. "Imperius?"
Remus nodded. "They haven't made this part public yet, but seems that she worked a security detail for her aunt Narcissa during the last elections. Narcissa or someone close to her decided that if Tonks made a play for me, I'd eventually leave you and let enough slip that she could arrest you on some trumped up charge. Once you were out of the way, I'd be the guardian for our child and thus in control of the Prince estate until Alex turned seventeen."
"Which would give Narcissa the opening she needed to challenge my grandfather's will and seize the house, library, and money." Severus folded the paper with a bit more care than was strictly necessary and let it drop to the floor. "Very devious. Lucius would be proud of her."
"It explains why Tonks was suddenly hellbent on getting me back the winter before Alex was born." Remus leaned forward to kiss him, very lightly. "Not that it ever would have worked, you know. She may be the Hufflepuff, but once Moony made his choice, that was it."
"Foolish wolf," Severus murmured against his lips. "Foolish girl."
Alex stirred, making the little whimpering sounds that meant he was about to wake. Severus stroked his son's hair. "Bad lady go 'way?"
"The bad lady is gone, darling," said Remus. "Remember? Sergeant Frost took her away. She can't hurt you or Dad."
Alex looked far more worried than any toddler should. "She said she'd take us away, me an'the baby, and - "
"That will never happen," said Severus. The old battle light came into his eyes for a moment. "We wouldn't let it."
"Never." Remus had already decided to search the family archives to see just how deep the protective spells on the manor and the grounds ran. Clearly the residents of Brewerton were fine, but what if one of them turned Isolationist? Or Narcissa bought property and settled one of her cousins in the parish? "Mr. Shacklebolt will make sure that the bad lady never comes back."
"Really?"
Remus crossed his heart and held up his hand. "Honor bright." The article claimed that Tonks was on suspension until the circumstances of her curse were investigated. According to Kingsley, her career was almost certainly over no matter what happened; an Auror who couldn't sense or repel an Unforgivable was all but worthless, especially given how many Death Eaters had managed to weasel their way out of Azkaban. "You don't have to worry about her any more."
Alex frowned, then nodded and held out his arms to Remus. "Nap?"
"Nap," said Remus. "For all three of us." He spelled away Alex's shoes and waited for Severus to work his way upright before tucking the child into his cot and drawing the blinds. Fortunately Alex slept like a rock these days, so they wouldn't be interrupted.
"I assume the fete is over?" Severus asked after they'd left the nursery and were almost at their bedroom. "And Nymphadora is in custody?"
"The fete is winding down until the fireworks tonight, and Tonks is under a geas that prevents her from leaving London. Kingsley is also putting his best field agents on the case and launching an internal investigation. Narcissa may well be up on charges again if they prove she cast the Imperius or ordered it done." It was still light, and the fun fair was still technically open, but most of the village had gone to the church social hall for a harvest supper. Remus had originally promised to attend, but Mother Proctor had assured him that no one would blame him for seeing to his family instead. "I feel bad for Tonks if she really was imperio'd, but not bad enough to ignore what she did. How do you feel?"
They were in the bedroom now, and Remus pulled his summer robe over his head and chucked it toward the hamper. The bed was covered with firm pillows to support Severus as he slept, and the windows were spelled for privacy even during daylight. A deliciously cool breeze sent the curtains billowing into the room.
Severus paused in the act of hanging up his robes. He wore nothing but the low-slung briefs he'd begun using as soon as he started to show, and Remus swallowed at the sight. He was rounder this time, and a bit bigger, and the near-constant arousal Remus had felt when Severus was carrying Alex flared almost as bright as it did before the full moon.
"Angry that she threatened Alex, but no, I’m not about to have convulsions or a miscarriage." Severus blew out a breath as he recognized the gleam in his partner's eye. "You can't possibly find this attractive. I look like a plimpy, and it's barely six months."
"You look wonderful, love." Remus banished his own clothes and wrapped his arms about Severus' waist from behind. The baby thumped against his hands, and he pressed close enough that Severus shuddered. "And yes, I think it's attractive. I did before and I do now."
"You are utterly - " Severus bit his lip to suppress a groan as Remus reached under his abdomen to his cock. "Incorrigible."
"You wouldn't have me any other way," murmured Remus. He nipped at Severus's earlobe. "Come to bed. I know it's the afternoon, but with Alex asleep - "
"One shouldn't pass up an - yes, right there - opportunity - ohgodohgod - "
Remus chuckled and walked them to the bed. Severus lay back on the pillows, flushed and rampant as slowly stroked his ever-growing belly. His face was softer and fuller, and his hair shone like black glass.
"No. One mustn't pass up an opportunity," Remus said, and took his mate in his arms.