It was one of those warmer winter days. They left the the house on Beekman street shortly after the sun rose. The leaves had left the trees long ago and the wind blew, cutting at their skin, yet they did not notice. In fact, it was not one of those warmer winter days. It was just as cold as every other day had been, but in their minds, they were walking through a pleasant fall morning.

"This is a nice neighborhood," Victoire said. Her arm looped through his as they walked to the end of the street. There was no reason to walk to the end of the street- they planned to apparate into Hogsmeade which they could have done from the abandoned house. There was no reason, except to spend just a bit more time with each other.

"Weird that there's an abandoned house there." His breath was visible in the air.

"Is this the neighborhood where his girlfriend lives?"

"They're engaged now," he grinned. He finally felt genuinely happy for his professor.

"Really!" she exclaimed, squeezing his arm. "I know a few people who will be disappointed to hear that..."

"What do you think she's like? His fiancee."

"Probably super accomplished. And really pretty. With a weird hobby, like dissecting fish or something."

"I was imagining she'd be very normal. But super loyal and really good at giving gifts."

"Hm."

"What's wrong?" He was especially attuned to when she was even slightly bothered now. It was too soon to ruin their freshly repaired relationship.

"It seems like we have very different views on the role of a woman in a relationship."

"No," Teddy said defensively. "This has nothing to do with, er, women in general..."

"Okay," she said because she also did not want more bumps in their relationship. But in many ways, this had been one of the reasons she had broken up with him. He was the hero of the story- the one with a tragic childhood who grew up to do something groundbreaking before he was even twenty. And being the hero of the story, he was not good at sharing the plot. Victoire, however, did not want to be slotted into the role of the hero's girlfriend. She was an ambitious girl, though she had not been when she was eleven and staring into the inside the brim of the Sorting Hat. It would only be partially true to say that he had changed her. In reality, he just happened to be there with a worthy cause when she was at the age to stop thinking about herself and to start putting her mind to something bigger.

"Should we go back now?" he asked.

"No."

And so they made another circle around the neighborhood, commenting on the houses and which ones they would want to live in.

"Time to go back?" he asked. The sky was considerably brighter now, shining on the light frost that had accumulated on the grass overnight.

"It's like you want to get rid of me," she pouted.

"Of course not. But you were supposed to be back at the castle hours ago. I can't have McGonagall after my blood."

"That would be pretty terrifying."

"I'm glad you understand."

"Alright, let's go then," she said wistfully.

"Yes, ma'am."

Apparation is nice, even a dream come true to most muggles. It means less time traveling, for one. It also means a favorite dish at a favorite restaurant is always just a spin away and so too is the kiss of a loved one. Even for wizards, apparation always comes in handy and is seldom taken for granted. However, it was one of those rare cases where apparating was too fast, too hurried, too unforgiving. They were standing in Hogsmeade within the blink of an eye.

"I'll be back home in two weeks for the Christmas holidays," she reminded him.

"Is it that close to Christmas already?" he blinked. Now that he thought about it, he had been counting his time since he graduated Hogwarts in full moons. He hardly remembered that there were days between full moons anymore.

"I wonder how I'm supposed to get back into the castle..." she said. They could see the castle though everything was quiet and still due to the early morning. The shops had not even opened up yet.

"You could always take one of the passageways." He wished he had the Marauder's Map back. He was starting to forget exactly where all of the passageways were and how to access them.

"Well I left for perfectly legitimate reasons. I might as well go back the same way. Do you think if I just walked up to the front gate something would happen?"

"Maybe," he said, though he did not really believe it. Still, it was an excuse to walk to the front gate with her.

"Now what?" she asked when they arrived at the imposing black gate.

Teddy gave it a halfhearted shove. It did not move at all.

"I could try sending a Patronus to McGonagall," he said. He had sent messages through his Patronus before, though the thought of sending it to his former Professor was a bit intimidating.

"Okay."

Though he could not say he was brimming with joy at the moment, he did feel more content than he had in many months. He thought only of this moment, standing in front of his favorite place in the world with Victoire, having just come out of another successful full moon with more information on lycanthropy than ever before. The silver wolf emerged from the end of his wand easily and bounded through the gate and into the castle.

Though he could not have known, he had been standing in nearly the same place as his mother had decades earlier when she found a broken nosed Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express and sent her own wolf Patronus into the castle.

"Lupin!"

He jumped at the voice. He had not expected for it to come so quickly. A tall figure was hurrying down the path from the castle to the gate. She must have amplified her voice so that he could hear her from so far away. The gate clicked open. He looked at Victoire, who only shrugged, equally confused.

"Hi Professor McGonagall," he greeted when they were close enough to see that her glasses were askew across her nose.

She was panting when she stopped in front of them. If they were surprised that she had run out to greet them, it was nothing compared to when she put an arm around each of them and pulled them into her.

"Thank goodness you are okay," she said, still breathing hard.

"Teddy is good at what he does," Victoire said. Her voice was muffled by McGonagall's robes.

"I learned from great professors," Teddy offered. She still had her arms around them.

"Is something wrong, professor?" Victoire asked. She was much better at picking up on cues than Teddy was.

McGonagall finally freed them, her eyes darting between the two of them. She opened her mouth a few times then closed it, trying to gather what she wanted to say. By now, even Teddy could tell that something was wrong.

"It's Professor Nover," she said, composing herself.

"What happened to him?" Teddy asked. He was suddenly very aware of the cold.

"He's..." And McGonagall, never one to soften things, told them the truth.

"He's dead."

And she began to cry, tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks in large heavy drops.

Hogwarts Closed Following Death of Beloved Teacher

Rita Skeeter

For the first time in living memory, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has closed its doors, sending students home for Christmas vacation two weeks early. The school has considered shutting down in the past before, most notably when the Chamber of Secrets was opened in 1992, and before that in 1942. However, this is the first time the Hogwarts Board of Governors have agreed on a temporary closure of the school.

"Professor Nover was killed just barely off of Hogwarts grounds. A more thorough investigation is needed before we feel that students should roam the grounds," Mary Endentwine, head of the Board of Governors told the Prophet. "We hope to have everything cleared and the castle safe again by the time spring term begins."

A murder of a professor on Hogwarts grounds is not unprecedented- many will remember the famous murder of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore by Professor Severus Snape in 1997. However, Professor Nover's death occurred in a time of peace- or is it?

Preliminary investigations of Nover's body are not pretty. It appears that magic was not used to kill the professor. Instead, his body was found with the neck pierced straight through. Not with a single sharp object like a sword, but what looks more like teeth marks.

It may be too early to say, but it seems highly probable that Professor Nover, recently regarded as the man who could cure lycanthropy, was killed by werewolves. His death occurred on the night of the full moon.

"It cannot be a coincidence," Kenneth Bletchley, head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures stated. "There are werewolves out there whose sole purpose is to spread their disease. With the news that he could supposedly cure lycanthropy released, Nover was bound to be a target for these werewolves."

When asked what his department planned to do about this recent attack, Bletchley replied grimly:

"There have been movements in the past to protect werewolves. I do not believe this is possible anymore. Even if we had somebody who could cure the disease, these werewolves are not just out to spread their condition anymore. They are out to kill. And so it is our department's job to stop them."

Bletchley declined to comment on how exactly he plans to stop them.

If there is one thing we have learned for sure though it is this- the werewolves are gathering. Are any of us safe?

"I think it was right for the school to close," one parent said. "I don't feel safe sending my child to a place where werewolves are targeting. They were able to kill a professor this time- what's to stop them from killing more, or making werewolves of the whole school?"

"I think it was right for the school to close too," a Hufflepuff seventh year agreed. "But not because of the werewolves. Because the school needs time to properly mourn for Professor Nover. He was one of the best professors I've ever had. He truly cared about us and Hogwarts will have a hard time finding a replacement even half as good as he was."

Nover is survived by a fiancee and a sister.

"Teddy."

He did not want to open his eyes.

"Teddy."

Somebody had gotten him a blanket overnight.

"Teddy."

He wondered how hard it would be to Banish himself.

"C'mon, wake up..."

Where would he end up? Would everything else he ever Banished be there too? Or maybe he would go to a place where everything that has ever been Banished went. He would be surrounded by broken tea cups, spare automobile parts, extra quills. The only thing that would be missing would be the people.

A female voice joined the first voice.

"Let him sleep."

"He's not sleeping."

"Then let him pretend to sleep."

"It's been days now..."

"You can't rush this sort of thing. You of all people should know that."

Harry sighed.

"You're right." In a gentle voice, he said, "Come over for dinner one of these days, okay Teddy? We all miss you very much. James and Albus are home now and they're begging to see you..."

He knew that Harry meant well by mentioning that his sons were home. But it was just yet another reminder that there was a reason why his sons were home for the Christmas holidays early.

He opened his eyes.

Harry and Ginny had been leaning over him and quickly leaned back, surprised that he had actually given in. But he had played this waiting game of burrowing himself in a bed the night after he had been bitten. He knew now that it did not solve any problems and that Harry was right. He hated when Harry was right.

He sat up in the bed, pushing the blankets off of himself. Harry and Ginny stepped even further back, trying to give him as much room as possible.

"I'm fine," he said. But when he realized it was a lie, he changed his statement.

"It's my fault that he's dead."

"No it's not," they said at the same time.

"Yes, it is," he said firmly. "There's no point in telling me that it isn't- I know it is. I got him involved in all of this werewolf stuff and when that Rita Skeeter article came out I didn't step up and say it was actually me. They went after him because they thought he was the one curing werewolves. And the only reason why he was out of the castle that night was to come meet me."

They both visibly struggled to find something to say.

Standing up, he walked toward the closet to find a thicker set of robes. It was almost comical how quickly they moved out of the way to let him by. The closet had only hanger after hanger of simple black robes. They all began to blur together as his eyes betrayed him and began to water.

"This whole time it was like a game to me," he said. His voice sounded strange even to himself. His fingers fumbled with one of the robes just to have something to hold on to. He could not face them.

"At first there were no risks. All of the research I did and learning how to become an Animagus- yes, Harry, I'm an Animagus, sorry I didn't tell you earlier- all of that was fun because I was a student and young and thought I could do anything. Then I actually started changing lives and that was fun too. I loved feeling like I was making a true difference with the life my parents gave me. Even after I was bitten, there were still no risks. I knew Nover could heal me. And then Victoire..." He swallowed. "That's when I should have known things were serious. But even then! I knew I could cure her. See, there was always a way to undo things. And I taught myself how to undo the impossible- how to undo a werewolf bite- so I thought I could do anything. But not this. Not... death."

When he blinked, the tears escaped. He brought his shoulder up to his cheek to wipe them away hurriedly. He was ashamed of them. He thought he should be used to death by now- he had practically been born into it. Yet it seemed that no matter how much death someone experiences, each one hurts in a new way. Part of him wanted Harry and Ginny to leave so that he could cry freely, but another part of him knew that he had to talk this out.

"He was about to get married," he added, voice cracking.

When he closed his eyes, he could only see Nover. But it wasn't the knowledgeable face of the professor who had encouraged him to pursue the impossible, or the selfless one who assisted him each full moon. It was the image the Prophet described, of Nover's body in the dark, claw marks across his body and bite marks along his neck, his life forcibly torn out of him.

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked softly.

It was not the question he had expected, but he was glad for it anyway. He needed a plan, something to do, or else the grief would paralyze him.

"I suppose I ought to apologize."

His ability to morph had not returned and this was the time when he could really have used it. People had been after him, demanding to know more about his professor, asking if Rita Skeeter's article had been true. There were even parents looking for him, asking if they could reserve him for a full moon in the event that somebody in their family got bitten what with the violent rise in werewolf activity.

"I could make you some Polyjuice Potion," Victoire offered.

"Whose hair would I take? All of the people we know are too famous and easily recognizable," Teddy sighed. "And wouldn't it take a month to brew anyway?"

"Have you not kept up with the latest in Potions advancements? They discovered how to brew it in just under two hours now. It's really very impressive," she said cheerily.

He smiled at her effort. After McGonagall had informed them about Nover's death, Victoire had been the first to cry while Teddy stood in shock. Yet ever since then, she had made a visible effort to be the strong one. He felt bad about it- she had just as much right to grieve as any other student did. Yet because he had been closer to Nover, she did not feel it was proper for her to be the sad one. And so she had swallowed her grief and dealt with it by doing anything she could to help him.

Early one morning, he woke up to an owl pecking at his window. It held a package covered in a thin layer of snow. Teddy glanced out of the window in all directions to make sure there was nobody out there who would try to talk to him. He let the owl in.

It stumbled across his bed and fluttered its wings to warm itself. Teddy unhooked the package. Attached to it was a note in childish handwriting.

I figured you could use this more than I could now. Can I have it back when Hogwarts starts again though? Good luck! -James

When he pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, he felt like crying again. He blamed his recent fragile emotional state that sent him over the edge at the smallest, sweetest bit of kindness.

"Are you still there? This is really weird," Victoire said to what seemed like no one in particular.

"Yeah, I'm on your right," Teddy replied from beneath the Cloak.

"Okay. Which number is it?"

"Sixteen."

"We still have a block to go."

They had first stopped at the Indian restaurant where Teddy made Victoire ask for the waitress there. He was ashamed that he did not even know her name. After a few minutes of conversation with the manager, Victoire was able to identify her. Her name was Anisha, she was the manager's daughter, and she had not been in the whole week. It took another few minutes for Victoire to convince him that she was a friend of Nover's and to get her address.

"How is she doing?" Victoire had asked.

"How do you think she would be doing?" the manager said sternly. The restaurant was full and understaffed. "She is distraught."

They stopped at the house the manager had given them the address of. If he had been a bit smarter, Teddy could have figured it out. It was the house right next to the abandoned house Nover had suggested what seemed like months ago.

"Get me inside," he said.

"Why don't you just take the Cloak off here? I think that would be better than a man suddenly appearing in her house."

"I'm afraid someone's tracking me. Then if they see me go in, they'll start bothering her and that's the last thing she needs."

"Fine. But she's a muggle, right? You'll have a lot of explaining to do once you take off the Cloak."

"That's fine."

She had to ring the doorbell twice before anybody answered.

"Anisha?" Victoire asked timidly when a woman opened the door. Teddy recognized her, even from what little he had seen of her the one time he had eaten at the restaurant. She was pretty, though not in the classic way that Nover had been handsome. Her features were actually rather mouse like, her eyes darting around Victoire. But there was something endearing about it.

"Hi," she said. "May I ask who...?"

"My name is Victoire. I was one of Professor Nover's students..."

Anisha's features fell.

"Oh."

Victoire fidgeted.

"Well, I... I was hoping to talk to you. Er, see how you were doing..."

And because she was too polite to decline them, she let them into her house.

He had to poke Victoire once she was seated at the kitchen table to let her know that he was still there. She jumped at his touch. Anisha did not notice.

"Would you like some tea?" their host offered. It was a very nice kitchen, with sleek black marble counter tops and crisp white walls.

"Ah, no, that's alright. I'm actually not the one who wanted to talk to you. Er, if you'll just look over here..." She waved her hand to the right even though Teddy was on the left. He stepped over to where she was waving and took off the Cloak.

She did not scream, or step back, or make any sort of sound. She only blinked at Teddy's suddenly materialized body.

"Hello," she said warily.

"Hi. Sorry, I was afraid I was being followed..."

"Oh." She scratched her head. "Well, sit down then. Were you also one of Adam's students?" She turned away from them to pour herself tea.

"Yes. My name is Teddy."

"Oh." She turned back towards them and this time her eyes did not dart. She looked right into Teddy and said, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things?" he asked lamely. He took the seat next to Victoire even though it had not been offered to him. He felt too awkward to stand. At least at the table he could hide some of his fidgeting limbs.

"Just that you were a nice kid."

"Oh," he said, disappointed. But he took a breath and reminded himself that this was not about him. "I don't know how much he told you about what we were working on..."

Sitting down across from them, she wrapped her hands around her mug. He noticed that she was still wearing a ring.

"About curing werewolves, right?" she said with a small smile.

"Yeah. I just... I just wanted to come to apologize. It's my fault that... that Professor Nover..."

She waved her hand.

"Don't apologize," she said. He was shocked to see that the smile remained. "I don't need apologies, or anything. Just time, really. So it was nice of you to come see me, but..."

"He was a great professor," Victoire said softly.

"The best," Teddy added.

"That's sweet of you two to say. He..." She looked away. "That's all he really wanted."

They sat in silence. Teddy had thought that if he did a proper apology, he might be able to move on. Yet he did not feel any less lost than he did before he came here. If anything, he felt more lost, since he no longer had a plan.

"Well, it's good you two came today. If it had been tomorrow, your invisibility would have given me quite the fright," she said, sitting up straight. It was obvious that she was trying desperately to remain cheerful in front of them.

"What's tomorrow?" Victoire asked.

"That's when I'm supposed to get, what's the word? Obliviated?"

"What?" they both said, exchanging glances with each other.

"They're going to erase all of my memories about your world."

"They can't do that!" Teddy said. The injustice gave him an almost physical pain.

"Adam and I were never married. Apparently he wasn't supposed to tell me anything until the actual marriage. And now that he's... dead... I have no connection to your world anymore. So it makes sense, you see."

"It doesn't. That's not fair!" Victoire cried. Her hand had tightened into a fist.

She shrugged.

"I've come to accept it. It doesn't feel like losing that much in comparison to what I've already lost."

"But..." Teddy began. He could not imagine having the entire Wizarding world wiped from his memory. An entirely new world had been introduced to her, only to be taken so quickly away...

She drank from her tea calmly.

"You two are still so young. They won't take away my memories of him- I've made sure of that. And your world is incredible and magical but I've come to realize that what he gave me was much more so. You don't need spells or potions to love. All you need are loving memories, and he gave me plenty of those. These kinds of things extend beyond death. I hope you understand."

When they left her house, neither of them could think of anything to say.

"So what now?" Victoire asked, kicking a rock along the neighborhood sidewalk.

"I'm thinking."

"What will we do about the Pack?" she asked gently.

"There's only one thing to do," he decided.

In Memory of Professor Adam Nover

Teddy Lupin

When I first met Professor Nover, I thought I would hate him. He had taken over teaching my favorite subject and he seemed too confident and well dressed for his own good. But it turns out there was a reason for his confidence- not only did he turn out to be an incredible mind in the field of Transfiguration, but he also turned out to be a more than incredible professor. But you can hear that side of him from any student.

I was lucky enough to get to know him more personally. He encouraged me to pursue my dreams where any other teacher would have dismissed me immediately. When I told him I wanted to cure lycanthropy, he told me to show him the theory. When I told him I wanted to do the impossible, he brought me to the werewolves. And when I told him I wanted to pursue this dream no matter what, he died for my cause.

Professor Nover once told me that the whole point in being a professor was not for glory, but to cultivate and teach other people. I am beyond proud to call myself one of Professor Nover's students and I would like to share my glory with him.

Four months ago, I discovered the cure to lycanthropy and Professor Nover helped me perfect it. I cast the spell for the first time, and cured my first werewolf with Professor Nover never leaving my side. Three months ago we cured yet another werewolf. Two months ago we cured twins Beth and Seth Arbor. There have been more since then. Each one has made a full recovery. The cure is real, and I have it.

To the people who thought you could get rid of the cure by murdering Professor Nover: you had the wrong man. For better or for worse, he gave me his knowledge and cultivated it, never concerned for himself. I know from my experiences that werewolves are not beasts, are not monsters. If anything, they are more human than any of us because they know what it is like to lose humanity. And so I know that this disease does not need to be spread- it can be cured, I promise this.

But if you are still bent on spreading your lycanthropy, then come. I have been taught by the best. Come, and I will show you that the power of a good professor extends far beyond death.

Come.