Crying Siren, Singing Wolf

Disclaimer: I own nothing…so leave me be!

The funny thing about anyone with siren blood is that for all their lighthearted nature they don't handle tragedy well. Of course, young Serena Snape being only half siren didn't show any visible signs that she was breaking down until the summer she turned 23. A little after a year since her fiancé died because he was working for You-Know-Who. A month after her 23rd birthday she stopping eating and began losing sleep. Serena, knowing very well what was going on and not wanting anyone to be alarmed, said it was due to her search for a replacement Defense Against Dark Arts Professor. The last professor, Gilderory Lockhart had to retire due to a backfired Memory Charm he tried to cast on Ron Weasley using Ron's damaged wand. Serena was a little sorry to see him go. Underneath his pompous exterior was a sweet young man, albeit a confused one due to the Memory Charm.

The search hadn't been going as well as Professor Dumbledore and Assistant Professor Snape would have liked. Serena was somewhat disappointed. This was the first time she had been given this kind of responsibility and she didn't want to have to give the job to her brother. Severus Snape had been the first one to apply for the job. Serena had told him that if she didn't find anyone else he was welcome to the job and she would take over as teacher of Potions. Then someone showed up the day before Serena was supposed to tell the headmaster her choice. The person who showed up would not only fill the empty chair at the staff table but also fill the void left by Nealan Quirrell in Serena.

            Serena had been sitting out on the back porch in her cottage in Hogesmeade sipping a cup of tea and reading Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" (Author's note: the book is quite different from the Disney movie. For one thing, the caterpillar is a heroin addict.) This process was made difficult due to the dark glasses Serena had taken to wearing to hide the dark circles under her eyes. You couldn't see in but then again you couldn't see out. Finally, Serena tapped them with her wand and snapped "Envisionus!" sighing she put them back on. I hate using my wand, she thought miserably, but until I regain my spark, the slightest use of siren magic could put me in a coma…or worse. Ugh.  Suddenly there was a knock on her front door. Serena looked up finally being able to see through her glasses and said,

"Severus?"

"Severus? No, I'm not Severus. My name is Remus Lupin," Serena dropped her teacup. Remus? The same one I met when I was a kid? Cameron's uncle? The one Felicity likes? Naw. Couldn't be. "I was hoping that the position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher is still available," Serena jumped up.

"Yes!" she exclaimed happily, "I mean… yes, yes it is. Come on back here. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes. Please."

"Ok I'll be right back," she ducked into the house and within moments came back out side with the tea and a notebook full of questions she was supposed to ask. The man she found out side almost made her drop what she was carrying. For the man that sat on her porch step calmly petting Serena's Chihuahua wasn't at all what she expected. What she was expecting she wasn't sure of but this man wasn't it. He appeared young from a distance but when Serena handed him his tea and sat next to him she saw that his face had minute lines and his fawn colored hair had specks of gray. He seemed to have an aura of exhaustion around him. His robes were patched and frayed. Serena's fingers itched to apply magic that would make them new again. He's seen rough times and looks about as tired as I feel. But…it is him. I'd recognize those eyes anywhere. Too bad he doesn't seem to recognize me…ah well if he doesn't remember I won't tell him.

" I don't mean to be rude or anything," she said taking a sip of her tea, "But you look as if one well placed hex would finish you off. And umm, you should know that there's these twins that are prone to playing practical jokes on new teachers."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. My 3rd year being an assistant professor they turned the professor I was assisting into a woman. They wanted to turn him green but it sort of went wrong."

"If you don't mind my saying I think I'll do alright."

"Well if you're sure then," Serena broke into her first real smile in months, "I'm glad you came to get the job. If you hadn't come I would have had to given it to my brother. What did you say your name was?"

"Remus Lupin."

"I remember!" she said suddenly, "Severus used to complain about you all the time!" she gave her newly cut hair a shake. Usually it hung down to her ankles but now it was cut to halfway between her jawbone and cheekbone.

"Severus? Severus Snape is your brother?"

"Half actually," then correctly interpreting the look on his face she added, "I'm not anything like him," he looked abashed, "Don't sweat it. I get the look a lot when I say who my brother is."

"As long as your nothing like him I wouldn't care if you were his twin."

"Well as you're the only one who wants the job you can have it. I'm sick of looking for people," Lupin looked surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Umm you didn't write any books did you?"

"No."

"Phew! Good the last Defense Against Dark Arts professor was a celebrity and a stupid git besides. Didn't know anything. It was an utter horror being his assistant. Well actually he wasn't so bad after he got hit by the Memory Charm."

"You're the assistant the headmaster told me about?"

"Professor Dumbledore told you- Oh! That's how you found me!" she threw her notebook behind her, "Hey if Professor Dumbledore recommended you than that's good enough for me. I'd better send him a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yeah. Felicity!" Serena put two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply. A Siamese cat walked in and sat expectantly in front of Serena. Lupin dropped his teacup in surprise.

"F-f-felicity?" the Siamese cat looked pleased.

"I'm glad you remember me. It's been a while Fluffy."

"If that's Felicity then…Serena! Why didn't you- never mind. It's good to see you!" he swept the surprised woman into a tight hug, then let go, "I thought you were a siren."

"I am." Serena said jotting Dumbledore a note and tying it to Felicity's leg, "Actually I'm only half siren. Severus and I have the same fathers but different mothers. His was a witch, mine was a siren," Lupin regarded her forehead suspiciously as Serena gave Felicity stern orders, "Take that directly to Headmaster."

"Why can't you get a ruddy owl?"

"Keep talking like that and next time I'll tie it to your tail," the cat ran off muttering kitty swears.

"If you have siren blood…" Serena caught Lupin starring at her head.

"I'm off color," Serena lied, "That's why you can't see my marking.

"Oh. Can you tell me what the job description is?"

"You can choose what you want to teach. Play your strengths mind. Teach something you know a lot about and something that won't make the students zone. You can count on at least one a free period a day and you are welcome to go on Hogesmeade visits. You office is quite nice and your room is down the hall from your office. My room and office are next door to yours if you need me for whatever reason. It's your job to teach, my job is making up test and homework and we both grade them. I don't know about pay. I do know that it'll be higher than mine. You know because you're the Professor and I'm the assistant. It's all a matter of responsibility levels. I will tell you this. I really don't like professors who take advantage of my services and if you do so, I will make your life miserable. I can and will."

"Oh. Well why haven't you become a full professor?"

"Oh that… well it's because of the mixture of blood floating around inside of me. I can handle only so much pressure before I crack and go raving mad. But the thing is I've always to do is teach Defense Against Dark Arts, I guess I get that from Severus, so one of my old Professors suggested my becoming an assistant and Professor Dumbledore agreed. He is such a nice man," Lupin nodded his agreement, "So what are you going to teach?"

"Deadly creatures."

"Cool."

"I think we'll start on boggarts, that is if we can find one and end on werewolves,"

"Uhhh do you really think that's a good idea…because of Cameron and well…"

"Don't worry about it. It'll all be taken care of I promise."

************************************************************************

"Has he showed up yet?" Professor Dumbledore looked up and gave Serena a small smile.

"Who?"

"Who do you think?!? Professor Lupin!" Serena clamped a hand to her mouth, "Sorry, I'm a little stressed."

"Quite alright. No he's not here but he did send you this. Seems the owl couldn't find you," he handed her a very thick envelope. Serena took it thanked him and went out side and plopped down on the edge of the lake. She was soon joined by her fetch Felicity, her Chihuahua Jade and Hagrid's boarhound Fang. As she was opening the letter the giant squid surfaced and waved a tentacle.

"Hello Squidy," she looked at her watch, "Shouldn't you be feeding?" the squid nodded before diving again. Serena opened the envelope and began reading the letter.

Dearest Assistant, ("Go figure," Serena told them, "I get the Professor with a sense of humor!") It is my regret to inform you that I will not be arriving until the first day of school. On a happier note I finished the lesson plans. I was thinking that all of the years will be dealing with dark creatures only older years will be more hands on than younger ones. ("Well I suppose that makes sense…") That's why the letter is so bulky in case you were wondering. Will you kindly look through it? Oh, and thank you so much for finding the boggart for me. I do hope that none of the teachers were put out by not having their closet. Well until the feast then.

                                    -Professor Lupin

"Ooh!! That's a lot of material! I do hope we'll be able to get through it all!"

"Get through all of what?" Serena jumped, so did Felicity and the other animals. Standing behind her was Professor Flitwick.

"Please don't do that Professor."

"Sorry. All of what?" Serena waved Lupin's lesson plan.

"All of this. I do believe the man is trying to make up for time lost when Gilderory was teaching."

"How is Gilderory? I hear you two have become friends."

"Yeah. He's really not so bad once you get past the pompous exterior. Heeey, you never said anything about my hair."

"Well, it's different."

"Different how? Good different?

"I don't know. It'll take a while to get used to. This is the first time you've cut it isn't it?"

"Yeah. Well cut it this short. I got it trimmed regularly." The tiny charm professor smiled,

"I think it looks wonderful. What does your brother think?" Serena's face darkened.

"I'm not talking to that git. He's a bloody b-"
"Ahhhh, I'm sure you don't mean that."

"Wanna bet? He was so upset that Professor Lupin got the job that the stupid…(She called him something that made Flitwick exclaim, "Serena!") told me off and the insulted my teaching credentials then he insulted my judge of character. Just because he hates Professor Lupin."

"Frankly I'm surprised you like him so much," all anger drained from Serena's face to be replaced be confusion.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, uhh, never mind," he walked away. Serena stared after him, face as blank as a cloudless sky.

"What was that about?"