"No freaking way."

Tonks and Lupin shared shocked glances with each other, utter disbelief splashed across their faces as they stared at the smug animagus.

"Oh yes dear cousin, got Minerva's owl just moments ago."

Sirius flung a piece of toast straight into the air and caught it in his teeth, eyes closed while he chewed, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"What on earth are you going to teach? 'A History of Dung Bombs'? 'Defense Against Ass Scratching?'"

"I'm technically not teaching, I'm assisting", Sirius corrected. "And I'll have you know that Minerva has full confidence that I'll be wonderful in aiding Hagrid this year."

"Care of Magical Creatures? They're letting you around not only children, but around potentially dangerous animals? Does Minerva want a massacre?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus.

"I take care of your furry ass during the full moon, don't I? Buckbeak is still alive and well upstairs in the attic. Hell, I'm a dog- I think I can handle a flobberworm or two."

Tonks and Remus once again shared dubious looks. The pink haired witch was the first to relent with a sigh.

"Well... I suppose it'll be nice to be all together..."

Sirius clapped his hands together, finally losing the testy expression that he'd adopted.

"But you're gonna need new clothes! Your normal stuff will never pass."

"What's wrong with my normal clothes?"

"Sirius please," Tonks sighed, "I love your wardrobe, I do, but unbuttoned silk tops and v-neck tees are hardly appropriate for a professor."

"Now you sound like Molly. Since when were you the responsible one?"

A grin broke out on Tonks's face.

"Dunno. Maybe its from hanging out with you old farts. I'm losing my edge."

This earned her a slice of toast in the face.

"Speaking of Molly and old farts," Remus began, "aren't the kids coming over soon? Its been a while since we've seen Harry."

It had been.

Sirius's guilt at being unable to see Harry after all that had transpired settled like an anchor at the pit of his stomach. One moment he was embracing his godson, dark lord vanquished, the danger finally quelled. And then he was gone. The Ministry had questions. The Prophet demanded answers. At once, Harry belonged to the people of the wizarding world when all he wanted to do was recuse himself from it- if only for a short time to process the years it took to finally end the reign of the dark lord.

Sirius himself was busy getting his name cleared after the war. Molly and Arthur helped him get cleaned up and create a temporary image of a clean-cut man who was so clearly framed. He was glad to be given a potion to regrow his hair after the proper, foppish haircut Molly had given him.

"We should have them over for dinner tomorrow. No Molly, none of the other Weasleys- not just yet. Just our kids. Dumbledore's Army, you know?"

"I think they'd like that", Remus agreed, getting up to help Tonks clear the table.

"Does this mean I'm cooking?"

"Would you, oh cousin of mine?"

Tonks groaned but hid a smile by turning to face the sink. She was glad to see Sirius making plans and looking lively. It was much better than the dead-eyed stare that he'd adopted when they first got him home. They tried to ask him what he'd seen in the veil, how he'd crawled his way to the front of the arch to be pulled out by a Ministry worker. He wouldn't say. He'd vowed to never reveal the truth of that place.

xXxXx

Tonks left work early the next day to gather groceries and begin cooking for the little reunion. Though she was weary of his over-enthusiasm with a knife, she was grateful for Sirius's help in the kitchen. Her mother, a regular homemaker, had passed along several quick recipes that were appropriate for feeding a large gathering, but keeping track of what went with what and when to start cooking one bit or another always eluded Tonks. A beef and potato stew was on the menu that night, along with as much butterbeer as Remus could gather at the market. Sirius suggested the dessert: pumpkin pasties, Harry's favorite.

"I'm gonna give ol' Buckbeak the scraps and take her for a quick fly. Poor girl needs to stretch her wings. Be back soon, don't start without me!"

Remus and Tonks finished preparing the meal, taking moments to steal kisses and play grab-ass like a couple teenagers. When Sirius returned, he made a point to make vomiting sounds and roll his eyes at the two lovebirds. Tonks was trying not to fall backwards into the sink while Remus peppered her with kisses when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!"

Sirius ran to the door, stumbling slightly in his enthusiasm in a way that reminded Tonks of herself.

"Good to see you Padfoot."

"Harry!"

Remus and Tonks watched from the doorway of the kitchen as Sirius and Harry embraced, arms tight around each other as though they were both scared that the other would disappear if they let go.

"It's been too long. Where are my manners? Ron! Hermione!"

Sirius hugged the other two as Harry came forward to hug both Remus and, to her surprise, Tonks. Once Ron and Hermione ducked in, Neville, Luna, and Ginny walked in, all beaming at Sirius.

"Good to see you Snuffles," Luna said, lilting voice ringing in Sirius's ears.

"Glad to see you too, sunshine."

The kids gathered round the table, each taking a seat and helping to serve each other the stew, which Tonks was happy to not have ruined. They talked for a while about nothing important. There was still a lot of tension, the war had taken from all of them, and though they laughed and joked, it was clear from the bags under their eyes that they were still exhausted. Sirius felt himself clutch his butterbeer hard enough to shatter the glass when Hermione's sleeve rolled up high enough to reveal the scar that spelled 'mudblood'.

"Sirius," Tonks whispered, prodding the wizard and pulling him out of his blind rage. "Didn't you just hear Hermione? The kids are returning to Hogwarts this year!"

"'Mione's returning for her last year," Ron corrected thickly through a large mouthful of potato. "Luna and Ginny are finishing their last year, Neville's redoing his. Harry and I are only taking a couple classes because the Ministry's asked us to."

"What's the Ministry doing, asking you to take classes?" Sirius questioned.

"Auror training," Ron replied. "They want us to take another course in defense against the dark arts and charms of all things. As if Harry needs another defense class. Defeated the bloody dark lord, didn't he?"

"And so did you," Hermione said, stopping Ron from feeling put out before he could start. "But Harry's said it himself, we've had a lot of luck all these years. There are still spells that could have helped us greatly had we learned them. It'll be good for you."

Harry and Ron both shrugged.

"I hope they at least have a decent professor this year. Haven't had a decent one since Moody, and that wasn't even Moody."

Remus grinned at this.

"Well in that case it may be a relief to you to know that I'll be teaching this year. I'm also taking over as Head of Gryffindor House for Minerva."

"What?! No way!"

All the kids looked at each other, smiles growing.

"I was horrified of defense before you taught, you'll be great," Neville piped up, mind turning to the image of Snape in his grandmother's clothes.

"Well he won't be alone now will he?" Sirius stood and tossed his arms around Tonks and Remus's shoulders. "I'm teaching too!"

Hermione gagged on her butterbeer as Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Don't worry love," Tonks said, catching Hermione's mortified expression. "He's not teaching, he's assisting Hagrid. The world isn't ending quite yet. And if he happens to get up to any funny business I'll be stationed at the school as a sentry, so I'll handle him."

"Wait," Harry said, a smile on his face so large it looked to split his face in two. "So you're all going to be at Hogwarts this year?"

The elder trio nodded.

"Hogwarts is about to be an absolute madhouse. Fred and George will be pissed when they hear what they're missing out on," Ginny said, smirking from beneath her glass of butterbeer.

"They really should consider finishing," Hermione said, frowning. "You never know what you may be able to pick up from the professors."

"I'm glad they're running the joke shop again," Luna said, helping Sirius pass out the pumpkin pasties. "People need a bit of laughter more than ever now."

"Speaking of the shop," Sirius said, "Did I see you in Ollivander's new shop the other day, sunshine?"

Luna turned a bright shade of pink. She'd stayed with Ollivander after they'd been freed from captivity, finding that the death eaters had warped her father's mind in much the same way as they had done with the Longbottoms. Though her father had a much better outlook, she needed a temporary caretaker, and Ollivander was more than willing to take her in.

"Yes. Olllivander has been helping me with my experiments. I had a few ideas for new wand cores." Her face turned a deeper shade of red. "He told me to finish my schooling and that after he would take me on as a proper apprentice. I might take over for him some day."

"That's wonderful Luna! I think you'd make an excellent wandmaker!"

Luna turned away, looking thoroughly like a ripe tomato.

"What about you, Neville?," Lupin asked, "what made you decide to go back?"

Neville blushed himself.

"I'm... considering a position as an auror as well."

"If that's the case," Tonks piped up, "We're about to have some of the coolest Aurors of the century."

The rest of the night passed entirely too quickly for Sirius's tastes. The kids shared their tales of dealing with the Ministry, dodging Rita Skeeter and her new fleet of conspirators, and of checking in on old friends from Hogwarts. The night got even more interesting when Ginny suggested a three-on-three game of quidditch: her, Harry, and Ron, vs. Sirius, Tonks, and Lupin. Lupin quickly refused, using the washing up as an excuse. He and Hermione stayed in to clean up while the rest went out, Luna commentating and Neville refereeing.

When the kids finally left, Sirius felt the anchor in his stomach settle heavily again.

"S'alright Padfoot," Remus soothed, "it's only another week till the start of term. We'll see them again.

Remus was right, and yet again, the next week passed at a feverish pace. This time the elder trio could not keep up, and the three of them found themselves haphazardly tossing their belongings into trunks.

"C'mon! The portkey leaves with or without us in 3 minutes!"

"I'm...bloody...trying!" Sirius grunted in response to Tonks. "The damn case wont shut!"

Tonks groaned, dropping the rusty old kettle that was to serve as their ride to the castle on the floor, leveling her wand with Sirius's overpacked trunk.

"Collosacculus!"

At once, the trunk snapped closed, bulging threateningly at the seams, but secure all the same.

"Remus!"

"I'm coming, woman!"

Remus swung around the corner toting his own over-large bag.

"Bloody hell."

The three of them grabbed ahold of the kettle without an extra moment to spare, immediately being whisked away. When they reappeared, they found themselves under the shadow of the great, looming castle.

Hogwarts.

xXxXx

There was certainly a different air about the place in the wake of the battle. For the most part, they had done a decent job repairing the damage done to the castle, but a few towers still had bits blown out of it. The children seemed somewhat apprehensive to be there, eyes turning away from certain doors or places in the hall- places where they'd lost friends and innocence. Though the atmosphere was somewhat melancholy, there was also something hopeful about seeing the first years gather in front of the doors to the Great Hall, waiting for the sorting ceremony. Not all was lost.

Tonks dismissed herself almost immediately upon getting inside, leaving to change into the plum robes she'd been given to identify her as a Ministry sentry. Sirius and Remus climbed the tower to the teacher's quarters, changing into proper robes before heading down to the first feast of the year.

"Strange, isn't Moony? To be on the other side of things?"

"I suppose so. But then again, I've done it once before, haven't I?"

"Yeah...but you know what this means now, right?"

"...we're the enemy."

Both groaned as they pushed open the door leading to the professor's table. As they sat, they took stock of the room: McGonagal sat in the Headmistress's chair, Flitwick beside her to the left, Lupin taking a seat to the right. There was an empty seat beside Lupin, and Sirius and Hagrid sat beside each other. Lupin frowned at the empty seat, waiting and watching as other teachers took seats on the other side of the table. Sitting out at the tables, Lupin spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione, taking a moment to wave discretely to them. Sirius decided a dog whistle would be more appropriate. Neville and Ginny were sitting not to far away, heads down, speaking in whispers. They looked up only for a moment to smile at the two marauders. Luna sat with her legs folded beneath her at the end of the Ravenclaw table, grinning at both professors. Just before McGonagal began her start of the year address, half a dozen wizards in plum robes marched into the hall. They kept their heads down, stance broad, faces hidden under hoods. Lupin wouldn't have known which was Tonks if not for the stray strand of pink hair peeking out from behind one of the hoods.

"Your attention please."

Minerva stood. The hall went quiet. She took a moment to survey the students before speaking again.

"This year at Hogwarts is going to be a very different one from the years prior. We've lost much in the past year. Feared much. Wondered where and how to start again. For the first time since Hogwarts' inception, we considered not holding the sorting ceremony."

The hall broke out in murmurs almost instantly, confused faces discussing the suggestion before the Headmistress cleared her throat again.

"We feared," She explained, "that to separate the students would only serve to aid the segregation that contaminated the wizarding community at large in the face of Voldemort's regime. But then we realized that to pretend that each of us is no different than the other would be just as foolish as claiming that some are better than others. Whether pureblood or muggleborn, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, who you are makes you special. Who you are should be celebrated. And as such, we decided that the sorting ceremony should continue.

"We do have some changes occurring this year that we would like you to aware of. This year, the Ministry has provided a guard force to protect the students. Should you see or hear anything suspicious from your peers or even a professor, please seek one of them out. They are there to help you. In addition, we have yet to name a Slytherin Head of House, as the position of Potions master has not yet been filled. Until it is filled, you would please, report to me for anything regarding the Slytherin house. Professor Flitwick will be standing in as Potions master for the first day of classes and onward until we secure our new professor. With that, let us begin the sorting ceremony."

Lupin and Sirius found themselves tuning in and out of the ceremony, no names of interest catching their attention. Lupin perked up each time the hat roared "GRYFFINDOR!", being sure to smile warmly at the newest members of his house. Soon, the sorting was done, dinner and dessert eaten, and students heading off to the dormitories. Lupin headed straight to bed, sighing contentedly when his face hit the pillow... before being roughly jumped on by an unseen assailant.

"Moonyyyyyyyyy, how could you be sleeping on a night like this? C'mon! The remaining marauders are back in business! Time to creep in the halls, set off dung bombs, stay up past curfew!"

Lupin groaned, working a kink out of his neck and quirking a brow at Sirius, trying hard not to laugh at his friend's doggish grin.

"Sirius," Lupin sighed, "we're hardly students, remember? We don't have a curfew. And I don't think dungbombs are exactly appropriate for the first day of a new job. At least if you want to keep it anyway.

Sirius pouted.

"Well if you're feeling restless, why don't we take a walk around the castle? Maybe we'll run into Tonks."

"Fiiiiiiine. Let's go to the Owlery. I have a letter I need to send anyway."

The two men walked the winding halls and changing staircases of the castle for what felt like some time. They reminisced about old capers, lamented the absence of their other friend, wondered at what job James would've taken, or what class he would teach. They had settled on James being the flying instructor when they reached the owlery.

"Who are sending a letter to anyway? Everyone you speak to is here, minus maybe Molly and the Twins."

"Mind your business," Sirius grumbled, tying his letter to a large barn owl.

"Look!" He shouted, cutting off Remus's response. "Pink hair!"

Down on the grounds, just beside the lake, was indeed one of the Ministry sentries, hood off now, revealing a bright head of pink hair.

"Guess we know where she's stationed now. Too bad it wasn't somewhere in the building, no sneaking off for quickies, eh?"

"Padfoot!"

"Keep up, old man!"

Sirius took off running, leaving Remus to chase after him. He slid down banisters, jumped stairwells, and ran through ghosts, hair flying wildly around him.

"Padfoot, slow down!"

Remus did his best to jog behind him, sliding down the odd banister and walking around the ghosts, apologizing for Sirius's recklessness. He couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he ran across the grounds to the lake. It was like old times all over again, Sirius always bold and brash, always dragging him into things he feared he'd regret, but ultimately he always ended up feeling alive. The place in his heart where he kept the memory of James and young Peter throbbed painfully. If only things hadn't turned out the way they had.

"Wotcher Remus. Sirius."

"Having fun playing soldier?"

"As much fun as one could. I'm glad our posts revolve though, the lake is gonna be miserable in the winter."

Lupin stole a quick kiss from Tonks, removing his cloak to have a place to sit out on the ground. The other two followed suit, Tonks going the extra step to remove her boots and dig her toes into the sand.

"Odd business, having no head of Slytherin. What'd'you think is up?"

"Snivellus must be a hard act to follow huh," Sirius grumbled, earning a smack on the arm from Lupin.

"I'm honestly a bit concerned. I was depending on having a Potions master here to create wolfsbane."

"I'm certain Minerva could do it. Otherwise I'll send in a request to the Ministry."

"Hmm."

They were all quiet for a moment, the only sound being the crickets and the gentle churning of the lake. It was peaceful here, familiar, warm. Each of them silently thanked the stars for bringing them together to this one place.

Eventually, Sirius and Remus bid Tonks goodnight, Tonks mentioning that her shift ended only a little after one in the morning if anyone ever wanted to "visit" the guards quarters. Sirius gagged at this.

Once back at the teachers dorms, Sirius and Remus separated as well, each promising the other that they would find some mischief to get up to that year. For now, Lupin had arrangements to make, and Sirius had a class bright and early.

Their year was bound to be an eventful one.

xXxXx

"So what are we teaching today, big guy? Dragons? Thestrals? Crumplehorned snorkacks? Give me the business, I can handle it!"

Sirius had been jabbing and waving his wand in the air, pretending to fence an invisible opponent as he and Hagrid approached his hut for the first ever lessons of the year. Remus, whom had agreed to watch, was already there.

"'Fraid not" Hagrid thundered, clapping a massive hand on Sirius's shoulder, "gotter save the real fun stuff fer later in the year, eh?" He punctuated this with a wink. "No, its unicorns fer the first few weeks."

Sirius groaned, feeling his fun had been spoiled as he approached the two silvery horned horses.

"Disappointed that feral veela weren't the first lesson, eh Padfoot?"

"There's still hope Moony."

Sirius spun to face Hagrid.

"Let's have a little fun, ey friend? Why don't we tie these guys out of sight until we're ready for the big reveal?"

Hagrid quirked an overlarge brow at this, but smiled at Sirius in the end, helping him strategically tie the creatures to the back of the hut, well out of sight from where the students would be. Soon they arrived- third and fourth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws- all gathering round and taking seats on the grass.

"Welcome!" Hagrid boomed, grinning at all the new, apprehensive students. "Welcome tae yer first Care of Magical Creatures class! Today we got a real treat fer yeh-"

"A treat indeed!" Sirius shouted, trying to match Hagrid's volume as he sprang out from behind the half giant, arms gesturing widely. He could see Remus facepalming in the back of the students as he did so, lamenting his friend's flamboyant introduction.

"I'm your newest assistant professor, Professor Black... err, no, that really won't do. Honestly, just call me Sirius. Or just call me the morning after if you're a muggleborn, eh?"

Sirius leaned down and winked at a third year Hufflepuff, sending her into a fit of giggles. Remus groaned. Sirius's flirtatiousness was only made more poignant by his decision to ignore Tonks's advice to skip out on his usual clothes. His half-buttoned silk shirt was catching a few girls attention, his tattoos becoming the subject of discussion behind many a gossiping hand.

"Today were dealin' with a magnificent creature-"

"Yes! Magnificent indeed!"

Sirius hopped up onto a flat rock, crouching low, keeping his voice in a scandalous but audible whisper.

"A great, terrible beast! Many a witch and wizard have met their end at its glory-"

"Thar gentle creatures normally-"

"Great, big, strong limbs!"

Hagrid tossed his arms into the air, hiding his smile.

"Well a'right, you do the intro then!"

"Ladies and gentlewizards! I present to you!:"

Hagrid brought out the two unicorns from behind his hut. The gathering of students who had been quite tense burst out laughing.

"Unicorns? You had me thinking it was dementors or something!" One Ravenclaw cried out.

"Ah, but don't be fooled, the unicorn is indeed a dangerous creature. Which leads me to our first lesson! Ah-err... if I may Hagrid? I realize I'm overstepping my bounds a bit here."

Hagrid gestured broadly, telling Sirius to have at it.

"Lovely! Ok! Your first lesson: respect."

Sirius held is pointer finger upward in a curt motion, slowly approaching the unicorns.

"Respect is a very important aspect in care of magical creatures. Y'see, unicorns can be quite docile, but show them no respect-"

Sirius made a sudden jolt forward, sticking his thumbs in his ears and waving his hands, tongue waggling in jest. The larger of the two unicorns bowed its head, horn pointed at Sirius, pawing the ground in preparation.

"-and they become dangerous. And trust me, that horn is nothing you want to mess with. Although mine is more impressive if you catch my meaning." Sirius leaned into a group of Ravenclaws this time and winked again, making Remus bury his face in his hands.

The unicorns started forward, a sound erupting from its throat that sounded like a clear warning.

"...show them respect," Sirius began again, bowing low as if greeting a hippogriff, "and they'll pay it back."

Slowly but steadily Sirius stepped forward, gently raising a hand and placing it on the beast's muzzle. When it relaxed he stood upright, stroking its nose as the tension left the gathering of students.

"Respect," Sirius explained, "is the basis not only for interacting with magical creatures, but with each other as witches and wizards. When respect is found in abundance, powerful bonds can be formed. When absent-"

He reached a hand under his shirt, feeling his brand from azkaban, looking out to a part of the castle that had not yet been restored from the battle.

"-when absent, the results can be catastrophic."

Sirius reached his hand out to the Hufflepuff girl he had teased earlier, smiling encouragingly. She rose from the group tentatively, taking Sirius's hand. Slowly, he guided her over to the unicorn and replaced the hand he still had on its nose with the girl's.

The group broke out in applause, causing Sirius to jump slightly and turn a deep shade of red. He quickly recovered, however, taking a deep, dramatic bow and ducking away, allowing Hagrid to finish the lesson.

Sirius waited until all the students were out of earshot to approach Lupin and Hagrid.

"Well...how did I do? Honestly."

Lupin beamed.

"Brilliant. Bloody freaking brilliant. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sirius Black you actually have a knack for teaching!"

Sirius grinned his doggy grin and thanked Hagrid for his own vote of confidence before heading back up to the castle with Remus.

"I have to say, you keep this up and maybe you can drop the "assistant" by the end of the term. Although you may want to consider keeping the flirting down to a minimum- no need to start any drama."

"What? And waste these good looks? I think not!"

The two of them laughed, arms tossed around each others shoulders while discussing the disturbing thought of Sirius Black behaving like a proper adult. As they neared the castle they came upon a rather stern looking Headmistress McGonagal.

"Ah shit, think I've lost my job already?" Sirius muttered under his breath.

"Can't be. But if you have, that's a record to be proud of, Padfoot. Fastest firing in Hogwarts History."

The animagus snorted as they finally met with the Headmistress.

"Professor Lupin. A moment please?"

Lupin frowned, but nodded. He quickly said his goodbyes to Sirius, following the marauder's path up to the castle with his eyes, wishing he were headed the same way.

"Minerva? How can I help you?"

Her stern expression turned into a worried frown.

"There's...a matter I was hoping you could help me with."

She produced a letter stamped with the Hogwarts seal from underneath her cloak.

"I was hoping you would do me the favor of delivering this letter."

"A letter?" Remus replied, frowning himself now. "Isn't that a job better suited for an owl?"

"Ordinarily, I would agree, but it seems none of my letters have made it to their destination. That, or they're being ignored. If you could deliver it, i'd be satisfied to let this matter go, but until then..."

Lupin accepted the letter, turning it over to read the address: a small wizarding community not far from diagon alley.

"If you'd leave now, it would be appreciated. You're more than welcome to apparate from Hogsmede."

Lupin nodded, assuring McGonagal to return with news quickly. His stomach churned the whole way to Hogsmede, wondering what made the contents of the letter so urgent, but knowing better than to question the Headmistress. Once he was ready and in position he took a deep breath, apparating away with a slight 'pop'.

xXxXx

When Remus reappeared he found himself in front of a small, poorly looking townhouse. The wrought iron arch outside of the apartment was covered thickly in what appeared to be a black ivy, and small, purple flowers. The sidewalk path up to the door was warped and crumbling, causing Remus to have to step very carefully onto the stoop, knocking nervously on the grey wooden door.

"Who comes calling?"

The voice came in a whisper, feminine although Remus couldn't be sure. Definitely magically produced, he figured it to be a sort of 'doorman's charm', an old magical practice long abandoned once house elves became the norm.

"I...err. Professor Remus Lupin, here on official business for the Headmistress of-"

The door creaked open before he could finish the sentence. He poked his head in, seeing that no one had opened the door, but rather that the door had opened itself. He stepped in slowly, taking in the small, dimly lit foyer. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, instead a single round pillow sat in the middle of the living room, an old cup of tea and an abandoned book beside it. Just inside the door was a small table, on it, a dish containing the keys of the owner, and a framed photo.

Remus picked up the frame and upon seeing the picture held within, nearly dropped it. His stomach churned, threatening to vomit as he stared at the image:

A child. Human, Remus thought, but barely so. The baby was tiny, deep blue-grey skin clashing with the pink onesie that classified the creature as a girl. Her hands, arms, and fingers were warped and bent at odd angles, eyes a disturbing shade of greyish black, and brow furrowed in pain. Worst of all was the mouth, if you could call it that: it was less of a mouth and more of a gaping maw with the appearance that her face had been wrenched open, the gap forking, extending all the way up to her nostrils in what had to be one of the worst cases of cleft palate Remus had ever seen.

"Ghastly, isn't she?"

Remus nearly dropped the photo, looking up to see a small dark haired witch with equally dark eyes.

"Years of dark magic and incest will do that to a person."

"Wait...I know you..."

She smiled the same quiet smile he had witnessed her bare at the Off By Lyric concert.

"Professor Remus Lupin. It's good to see you again, too."

She took the picture from his hands taking a moment to look at it herself before returning it to the table.

"I'm sorry, did you mention incest? Is...is she...did she?"

"Did she make it?" She finshed, looking back up at him. "Barely, yes. She was abandoned at first, left in Muggles care. They did their best to fix her up but that kind of damage is hard to repair. Once they got her to the wizarding world they did a much better job healing her body. Some scars though," she reached up and touched a hand to the little scar on her lip, "well some scars never quite heal do they?"

Remus frowned deeply, a hand reaching subconsciously up to his own cursed scars. He wondered at the witch for a moment- though she was tall, there was something about her that read as extremely delicate. This was punctuated by the mezzo-soprano tone she spoke in, her 's'es dragging out a bit too long, not like that of a lisp, but more of a strange whisper. Remus wondered if the circumstances of her birth caused these traits.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I've been through a lot. So have you. You learn to live through it. But that's not why you're here is it? You mentioned official business?"

"Oh!"

Remus pulled the letter from under his cloak.

"Headmistress Minerva McGonagal sent me with this. Said you'd been dodging her letters."

The woman frowned.

"I haven't received any letters from Hogwarts. Well, nothing from the Headmistress anyway. Seems I've only been getting half my mail lately."

She took the letter opened it, eyes scanning feverishly over the page, the little smile Remus was growing to find endearing reappearing on her face.

"Hmm... would you mind taking my answer to Minerva? I figure it best since owl service has been shoddy as of late..."

"I'd be happy to."

She gestured for Remus to follow her as she entered her kitchen, pulling out a long, blood red feather quill and penning a response. As she wrote, Remus took in the room. All her cooking wear was cast iron, pristine as if they'd never been used. The cabinets were stocked with finery, a small wine cooler even sat, fully stocked, on the counter. Beside it, Remus noticed, was another open letter sporting handwriting that undoubtedly belonged to Sirius. He tried his best to make out a bit of the letter, but could only manage the sign off at the end.

'Emphatically yours,

Howl'

Remus raised a brow at this, making a mental note to ask Sirius about it later. The sound of pen and parchment being tucked away into a drawer caught his attention.

"There you are," the witch said, handing Remus a new letter. "I think the Headmistress will find my answer quite satisfactory. Now, please forgive me, but I have a great many things to take care of and you'll likely need to be back at the school, yes?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, duty calls I suppose."

She walked him back to the door, thanking him for coming and delivering the message. Remus had already taken a few steps out of the door when he realized something.

"Wait a moment, I didn't catch a name!"

She simply smiled from the doorway.

"Tell Sirius and Tonks I said hello."

And with that the door swung closed again, leaving Remus with more questions than he had answers.

xXxXx

The next few days passed and brought with them more classes for Sirius and the first classes for Remus. The latter lamented at not yet having any of their kids in his classes yet, having been sent a note from Harry explaining that the Ministry had called on them for yet another questioning. Though he was worried, he kept himself busy aiding Luna, Neville, and Ginny, trying to hide his amusement at the first two's burgeoning romance.

Tonks was adjusting to her position quickly, already deciding that she preferred posts in the castle. She was surprised, however, to find that students regularly approached her, thanking her for being there. She wondered, at first, if the professors had said something to encourage the students to be so gracious, but it was with a heavy heart that she realized it was mostly muggleborn students coming up to her. Though the war had passed, they were still afraid for their safety. She vowed to each to do what she could to protect them.

Sirius had fallen into assisting Hagrid as if he was breathing air. Though his flourish and vivacity was a bit more than the position really called for, it helped to keep him from feeling like the stuffy, responsible adult he didn't want to be. He was particularly good at changing tactics based in who he was teaching: for the Ravenclaw students he was sure to learn plenty of fun facts and prepare questions for the eager learners to answer. For the Gryffindors, he encouraged more hands on participation, allowing the daring group to step up and show their stuff. For the Slytherins he asked fewer, harder questions, but gave a respectable amount of house points to those who answered, being sure to say the name of the student and tell the others of the snake house that they were one to watch for. This appealed to the pride found amongst the Slytherins quite nicely. And finally there was Hufflepuff. He never cared much for the 'Puffs in school, but Tonks had shown him the error of his ways. He hardly had to do anything for them except be himself. The more he made the guys laugh and the girls giggle, the more they took to their lessons, the more they answered his questions- easy or difficult- the more they wanted their names recognized, and the more they wanted to participate. Hagrid watched with a prideful eye as Sirius handled teaching with such ease, even promising to let the animagus take over a class or two in the coming weeks.

When the air outside grew cold and classes adjourned for the day, each of them fell into the sleepy habit of dragging themselves back to the dormitories and ridding themsleves of the things they'd brought to their posts. That particular night, the two professors ran into a plainly dressed Tonks- or at least as plainly dressed as she could be, given her punk aesthetic.

"'M'off tonight," she slurred through a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "Thought maybe you could fill me in on your first week?"

She said it to both of them but very pointedly wound her arms around Remus's waist.

"'Dora, please, the students..."

Two third year Ravenclaws had already seen them and started giggling, whispering to each other.

"Oh alright then. But maybe we should all head for butterbeers after dinner, yeah? Guards quarters are in Hogsmede anyway."

"Hogsmede? Why so far from the castle?" Remus asked, turning the corridor to the great hall's main entrance. Ordinarily he and Sirius would go through the back, teachers entrance, but with Tonks with them they decided to escort her to Hufflepuff's table.

"There's always at least 12 of us on the grounds, and believe me, the Ministry sent some good guys. Besides, and don't tell anyone I told you this, but theres a very small opening now where you can apparate onto castle grounds."

"Really? Any idea where that spot might-"

"Bloody fucking hell!"

Sirius has stopped dead in his tracks at the door into the great hall. They had come in quite late, all of the professors seated already and only a few students straggling behind. Sitting two seats over from Minerva was the dark haired witch, legs crossed politely, surveying the students. When her eyes met the elder trio, she smiled shyly, giving them a tiny wave.

"We'll catch up to you later, 'Dora," Remus said quickly, already jogging to catch up to Sirius who was rushing the table.

"What on Merlin's earth are you doing here?!" Sirius whispered once he'd taken his seat beside her. She didn't have time to answer, however, before McGonagal clinked her fork on the side of her glass.

"Your attention please? From now on, Slytherin house will no longer have to report to me with any concerns. Professor Flitwick will also be retiring his role as stand-in Potions master. I would like to introduce to you your new Slytherin Head of House and Potions mistress-"

The dark haired witch stood, giving a polite curtsy and smiling her shy smile at the students.

"-Professor Noctua Gaunt."