"Quirrel?"

"Quirrel."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so."

Albus Dumbledore is a great man, and Renna is forever thankful to him for letting her into Hogwarts at age 11, but at times like this she wonders how much of the crazy old man act is just an act, and how much is real.

"Why on earth did you think Quirrel in Defence would work? He's a muggle studies professor."

"He is, but he is also perfectly qualified to be a Defence professor."

Renna's memories of Quirinus Quirrel are few and vague, and she can't remember his eye colour or his height or his mannerisms, but she can remember how goddamn creepy he was.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"I am."

She sighs, and Dumbledore places his hand on hers where it rests on the table before her.

"Don't trouble yourself, Renna, there are a few newer positions opening up in the school, and I think you might be interested. Perhaps Defence assistant would suit you?"

Really, even Care of Magical Creatures assistant would suit her, and most creatures would shy away from her werewolf smell.

All she needs is a place she can make sure Harry is safe. Trying to adopt him was never an option, but that didn't mean she couldn't be part of his life. And she'd always wanted to teach.

"Defence assistant sounds perfect, with all the perks of being a teacher, too?"

Dumbledore smiles at her.

"Of course, Renna."

"Is that a scrying bowl? You know me too well, Rory."

Aurora Sinistra winks from where they're kneeling in their office. The scrying bowl, filled with a scrying potion, will show them and Renna a minute of what's happening on the Hogwarts Express, and as resident astronomy professor, Rory has everything they need for it.

"It's for my sake as much as yours, Renna, I need to know which brats to keep away from each other. You're almost lucky, with Quirrel doing everything for you."

"I have to be around Quirrel, that's not even a little bit lucky."

"I said almost. Grab a lighter from the desk and bring it here, the bowl's almost ready."

Renna complies, grabbing a grey lighter with a black K emblazoned on the front and dropping her wand on the desk so it's away from the delicate scrying ritual. She chucks the lighter to Rory, who catches it easily. Her knees sink into the soft rug as she sits next to them.

"Are you ready?" Rory asks, holding the lighter and a thin wooden stick in their lap, "You don't have your wand on you, do you?"

"I know how delicate it is, I left it on the desk."

Rory only nods in acknowledgement, before lighting the end of the stick on fire and lowering it into the bowl.

The potion catches fire for one beautiful moment, and then dies down and in the rippling water Renna can see a small boy with Jane's black hair and Lawrie's green eyes. He is surrounded with sweet wrappers, and inspecting a chocolate frog card. A red headed girl opposite him glances at the card and says something she can't hear, and Harry Evans inspects the card further, before carefully putting it in his robes pocket.

The scene changes then, to a buck-toothed girl with frizzy hair, but Renna doesn't pay attention, instead leaning back onto the rug and running over the image of Jane and Lawrie's son in her head.

Rory glances back at her, before again focusing on the bowl.

He looks remarkably like his mother, with the same delicate pureblood features tempered with occasional hardness, in the line of his nose and his eyebrows. Renna hadn't predicted how many memories the sight of him would bring back, and the remembrance running through her is bittersweet.

Renna can't wait to meet him.

Sabbathe Snape smiles, more like smirks, actually, for the first time in possibly a decade, when the hat shouts out "GRYFFINDOR" from Harry Evans' head.

Pomona hands her 2 Galleons under the table and her smirk becomes more smug, if that's possible.

"I told you didn't I? Gryffindor, just like his mother."

"And his father, too, Sabbathe," adds Renna.

"I would have been so glad to have him in my house," says Sprout, downtrodden.

"Don't worry, Pomona, maybe the next wizarding messiah will be a Hufflepuff," says Rory, unhelpfully, but at least they're trying.

From where she stands, Minerva smiles into the list she holds before calling out the next name. Renna catches Harry's eye again and grins at him. Harry gives her a thumbs up back.

"I can't believe he's here, does he even know who I am?"

"Aye, a told 'im about yeh in Diagon Alley," says Hagrid, from down the table. Renna beams at him. "Thanks, Hagrid!"

"You're looking very alive today," notes Rory "Is this the start of a new trend?"

"Anything is possible, Rory," replies Renna "But do you really think I'd have the energy for that?"

The first time she properly meets Harry, Renna's helping Quirrel teach a class. Unfortunately, Harry is a natural at Defence, and she can only stay with him for a few moments before Quirrel shoots her A Look and she sullenly slinks over to Draconis Malfoy who, despite being an 11 year old girl, is attempting a dark spell that will make anyone a willing harem member. Possibly, she just wants a few slaves, but even still, Narcissus and Lucinda should really keep an eye on their family library.

After Malfoy's been reprimanded Renna bounds over to Harry again, who has almost perfected the simple hex shield they are supposed to be practising. His friend, the red- headed girl from the train, is Ronnie Weasley, the 6th girl born to Mark and Amy Weasley, who, possibly,are just trying for a boy. Renna corrects Weasleys wand movements when she feels Quirrel's eye on her, then turns to Harry again.

Harry is smiling, and Renna's heart breaks at Jane's crooked lips pasted onto him before mentally spellotaping herself together.

"Harry, your spell casting is amazing, you have enough power to do this perfectly, all you need to do is fix your arm movement, see you drop your shoulder-"

She spouts some random defence words while Quirrel hovers behind her, and once he rushes over to Finnegan to stop an impending explosion Renna, stops, reminds herself to breathe, and invites Harry to tea.

"I was friends with your parents when i was in school, and if you want i could tell you about them. You're very like Jane, but you have aspects of Lawrie in your face that are almost unnoticed. I'd like to get to know you better, you were almost my godson, and i promised jane and lawrie i would take care of you."

Harry's face wavers at "take care of you" and Renna makes a mental note to look into that, before he smiles again, and says "Of course, I'd love to."

Renna catches Quirrel's eye over Harry's head, and he smiles at her, creepily, and sort of threateningly, like get-back-to-work-or-I'll-dismember-you-but-I-know-you'll-choose-the-right-thing kinda threateningly, and she trembles a bit before remembering she is a Strong Independent Werewolf Lady and she's not scared of anyone.

"Professor Lupin?"

That's Harry, Renna looks down and resists the urge to squeeze his cheeks before remembering she was having a conversation.

"Oh, yes, Harry, amazing, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better but I also have a job to do so I'm gonna do that now."

She ruffles his hair, she can hardly help herself, and he blushes.

She might not ever have full custody of Harry Evans, but if she can take care of him at school it hardly matters.