Later that night, as he continued to think, he heard a slight tapping on his chamber window. He opened it only for a small saw-whet owl to fly in, a roll of parchment tied to its leg. He untied the owl's burden and read the note to himself:
Dear Albus,
Wishing you a very happy birthday. I'm sorry to not be sending your present by owl, but as you can see, this owl far too small for a delivery of anything bigger than a letter over such a vast ocean. I will, however be coming back to England very soon and so, hope to give you your present in person.
Sincerely,
Sarah C. Jennings
Professor Dumbledore contemplated the letter for a short while before thinking that perhaps he wouldn't have to settle on a Charms teacher whose abilities he wasn't quite sure about.
When Sarah Jennings, a young teacher wearing bulky clothes and thick glasses that masked her face, apperated into the Three Caldrons with a Pop, Professor Dumbledore was already there, at a table, with a mug of butterbeer.
"Sarah!" he said cheerfully, rising with his arms extended, "How you've grown since the last time I've seen you. Are you well?"
Sarah hugged the old man fondly. "Quite well, Albus. Yourself?"
"I must admit that I've been better, but seeing old friends can easily change the mood of a man as old as myself; especially, in my currant situation, if that old friend happens to be a teacher as fine as yourself."
"Oh," Sarah had expected him needing a teacher, but not that he'd bring it up so soon upon her arrival. "Is it that Defense Against the Dark Arts class again, Albus, because you know as well as I that that particular class is most definitely not my specialty on any level."
"Actually, it is Charms that I need a teacher for, rather badly too as the school year is quickly approaching."
"Well, Charms is a different story entirely. I'd be more than glad to help in that field, particularly with me moving back here and being in need of job and home…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around the room. "Oh, how I've missed it here," she said in voice barely above a whisper.
"How was America, then? You didn't stay as long as you had planned."
"It was hot and the food and grammar there are horrible."
They both chuckled at that and more stories later in the evening that Sarah had to share. Professor Dumbledore smiled inwardly that entire evening. It was good to have an old friend back home.
Sarah arrived at the school early, as the teachers usually do, the day before first term started. She'd never been to Hogwarts before, so she figured she'd better at least figure out how to get from her quarters, on top of one of the towers, to her classroom, on the second floor. She spent most of the day just finding her classroom and on her way back to her chamber she had to ask one of the ghosts for assistance.
She had heard from Albus in letters about Nearly Headless Nick and was very glad that he wasn't anything like Peeves the poltergeist, who had been the first she'd asked for help from and failed miserably to receive any.
After she had thanked Sir Nicolas at her chamber door and he had glided away, she went over a few mental notes that she had made and made a second attempt at getting to her classroom and back, this time, hopefully, without help.
She wandered around for a couple hours, making four circles on the third floor before finally hearing, "Excuse me. Do you need help?"
She walked backwards a few steps to look into another teacher's office. The man sitting there was quite handsome and looked about her age even though he had streaks of gray in his hair.
"Um, yes. I was looking for my classroom, actually," she stared at him a short time before she let a little laugh escape, "I seem to have gotten lost again."
Remus gave her a look of uncertainty. A very strange girl, indeed, she wore a floppy, pointed hat that covered most of her face, glasses that covered even more, gloves, and robes that were obviously made for someone twice her size as they completely covered her feet and hung loosely on her, and beyond that, she had a voice that sounded as though she couldn't be older than one of the students of Hogwarts. "Oh, I wasn't aware we needed another teacher," he said, honestly surprised.
Somewhat insulted by his response Sarah replied extending a hand, "Sarah Jennings. The new Charms teacher."
Remus shook her hand; "Remus Lupin. I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin. Sarah Jennings thought two things about his name: one, that being a teacher in a school of magic, she deeply envied his strange name, and two, that she'd heard that name before.
"Oh! I've heard about you! You were here four years ago, weren't you? Albus told me about you."
"Oh, did he," he thought about this, a little confused, "When?"
"Well," she counted on her fingers as she thought, Remus let loose a small smile as he thought it was completely adorable, "Four years ago, when you were teaching then the year after that because he didn't know who to hire and again two years ago when he hired that horrible Umbridge women." Noticing the strange expression he had on his face she asked in slight puzzlement, "What?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just…" his voice trailed off before he answered.
"You were just…what?" she asked looking at a complete loss as he looked down in semi-embarrassment.
"Nothing. Never mind. So," he changed the subject, "You can't find the Charms classroom, then? I don't suppose you were looking for it about four hours ago, were you?"
"As a matter of fact I was. Why?"
"Well, that just explains why you walked past my room twice earlier today."
"Oh." Sarah felt herself flush, her face burned slightly in awkwardness. "Well, I've never been here before and this is a rather large castle," she said, a touch a defensiveness in her voice.
"You didn't go to school here?"
Sarah shook her head, "I was home-schooled by my father. Why?"
"It's just rather unusual for Professor Dumbledore to hire someone who didn't go to school here is all."
"Well, Albus and I have known each other for a long time, almost fifteen years." This comment baffled Remus. From what he could see, if what she said is true, then she must have befriended Albus when she was about two.
"Well, then," she interrupted his train of thought, "you did go to school here, then?" Remus nodded. "Then you should know where the Charms classroom is, shouldn't you? Would you care to show me the way?" She took his hand and gave him an inquiring look.
Remus shook off his thoughts at the feeling of her touch. Looking up at her face he thought to himself She doesn't look that young. "Yes. Yes, of course." He carefully moved passed her in the archway, trying painstakingly not to make anymore physical contact with her other than the hand that held onto his. Once out of his classroom he led her to hers, every now and then pointing out something, usually a painting, that could mark a turn she would have to take or that she was, in fact, going in the right direction.
Once they got there, Sarah looked about the room quickly inspecting it for something she hadn't yet thought of.
"This is definitely my classroom," she said, giving it another look around and then looking back at Remus in the archway. "I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to walk me back to my rooms now, would you?"
"Pardon?" Remus could scarcely believe his ears (though, they were hardly ever wrong); did she just say what he thinks she just said?
"My rooms. I mean, I'd understand perfectly if you didn't want to. You did such a fine job of showing me the way here from your office, but I'm not even sure if I know the way there, and besides that, I don't think it would very well do for me to have to go to your office every time I want to go to my classroom. Unless, of course, passing it is inevitable."
"You, make a good point," he replied looking somewhat bewildered. How someone can say so much in one breath is beyond me, he thought to himself. "Well, do you, at least know where your room is?"
"It's at the top of the smaller west tower."
Remus thought for a while. There's a chamber up there? He had hardly been in that tower at all. It was the second smallest tower at Hogwarts and wasn't at all interesting. There weren't even any secret passages leading to something interesting, just a dull overlook.
He sighed. "Yes I know where that is. Why would you want a room up there?"
"How often do you go up there? Or more, how often do students go up there?"
"Privacy. Got it."
"That, and how often do you get to hear the rain inside this place? If it's going to rain, which it is at some point, then I want to hear it. It's such a pretty noise."
"Er…" Remus actually always heard the rain. His lycanthropy just seemed to heighten his senses, a side effect that he didn't mind bearing, but hearing her say that it's such a pretty noise made him think she was a little bit daft.
Remus walked with her to her chamber, doing the same thing he did to direct her to her classroom from his, pointing out distinctive things that could help her remember when to turn and if she'd turned in the right direction.
When they got to her quarters, she thanked him politely and as she opened the door; Remus was overwhelmed. An extremely pleasing scent came rushing to greet him, causing his knees to grow weak. It smelled wonderful! Like some sort of vanilla tea; it made him want to sleep for a thousand years. How can she stay awake in that room, let alone as hyper as she seems, he thought, using a wall to stabilize himself.
"What's wrong with you," she inquired, looking at him like he'd just turned green.
"Nothing," he gasped. She's only been here for a couple of hours and it never smell like that up here before.
Sarah chuckled. "Al…right, then. I'll see you tomorrow, Remus."
Hardly opening the door, she slipped into her room and closed the oak door behind her. After Remus caught his breath, he made it back to his classroom to finish his lesson plan for that week.
