June 15, 1989
Dear Mr. Lupin,
Hogwarts has yet again found herself without a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. During all of your years you were a phenomenal student in this area, and I believe you would have much to teach the students. Please consider accepting the position, and I hope to see you in September.
All the best,
Albus Dumbledore
June 16, 1989
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
While I appreciate your thinking of me for the position, I am afraid I am far too busy here in Yorkshire. I wish you the best of luck in finding your new professor and do give Poppy my best.
Sincerely,
Remus Lupin
June 7, 1990
Dear Mr. Lupin,
Hogwarts has yet again found herself without a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. While I understand you may be otherwise occupied, I firmly believe you would be an excellent professor. Please consider accepting the position, and I hope to see you in September.
All the best,
Albus
June 11, 1990
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Once again, I regret to inform you that I will not be able to accept your offer of employment. Apologies for the delay in response—I was otherwise occupied. Please consider asking someone else if they are interested in the position.
Sincerely,
Remus
May 20, 1991
Dear Remus,
I am sure by now you know the purpose of my letter. I implore you to accept this offer of employment. As you may know, young Harry Potter is beginning his tenure at Hogwarts. He is as bright and kind as his mother, and as clever and loyal as his father. I have no doubt that you would find him extraordinary, and I believe he would benefit greatly from having you as a professor—occupations aside. He could always use a family friend looking after him.
All the best,
Albus
May 21, 1991
Dear Albus,
I am greatly excited for Harry to begin his journey at Hogwarts. Those years were truly the best of my life, and I have no doubt he embodies the values his parents would have wanted him to have. Unfortunately, I am far too busy here in Yorkshire and I am sure he will do just fine without me.
-Remus
June 20, 1992
Dear Remus,
You of course must realize why I write this letter. I urge you to accept the position of Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry could use a professor who will actually teach him the skills he needs to defend himself from the evil he is sure to face. James always told me you were the cleverest of your group of friends—please consider helping his son. Attached is a present I believe James gave you during your time in school: use it wisely.
All the best,
Albus
June 21, 1992
I will not be guilted into taking the position of Professor. James knew very well why I refused to teach, and nothing has changed in that regard. If he did tell you I was clever, then you should know I'm not daft: the D.A.D.A. position is clearly impossible to fill, and I now believe the rumors to be true. How, then, if I am such a suitable teacher, could I expect to vacate the position in a year? I think you and I both know what would happen if I came to teach this year.
Thank you for the present, it does bring back fond memories of tutoring my friends.
-Remus
August 15, 1993
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
I hope this letter finds you well. Attached is my current resumé and a letter of recommendation from my most recent employer, a Mr. Steven Bishop of Yorkshire Fish and Chips. I apologize for the vagueness of the letter—Mr. Bishop believes I am applying to work as a substitute teacher at a local muggle school. I would relish the opportunity to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year, assuming the position has not already been filled.
Harry needs all the protection he can get at this time. As you are aware, I knew Mr. Black very well once and believe that I could offer a useful perspective in aiding his eventual re-capture. I apologize for my last letter to you—I was particularly sour, and it was uncalled for.
Thank you for this opportunity,
Remus J. Lupin
August 15, 1993
Dear Professor Lupin,
Congratulations! I am pleased to offer you the position of Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Enclosed you will find train tickets pre-paid for arrival and departure this term; I believe it would be best for young Harry to have some apt protection on the trains to and from Hogwarts.
While here, staff who are not already aware will be informed on your condition. As such, I expect your discretion with the students. Additionally, our potions master is quite adept and has agreed to make a potion to help with your condition, so as to minimize the classes you will be unable to teach. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing you in September.
Thank you,
Albus.
Roughly two weeks later, Remus arrived in London's King Cross Station from his home in Yorkshire. He had instructed his neighbor, an elderly widow (and squib) by the name of Rose O'Connor to keep a watch on the place. He knew he would need to return.
You've done this before, a voice in his head reminded Remus. It's no different. Only, Remus hadn't been at platform 9 and ¾ in many, many years. The last time he had left for Hogwarts, his mum and dad were both alive. His friends were alive. His boyfriend hadn't been responsible for their deaths. He was Moony back then. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, he thought bitterly. How ironic that he was the last one left—he no longer counted Sirius as being truly alive.
The night prior had been a full moon, and Remus was utterly exhausted. Still, the potion he had been so…kindly given by Snape had helped immensely, and Remus was feeling much more confident on his ability to teach throughout the year. Still, he knew as soon as he sat down on the train, he'd be out. Remus looked down at his wrist, half expecting to see a watch before realizing he no longer had one. Luckily, the clock on the wall told him everything he needed to know: the train would be arriving momentarily. Remus clutched his briefcase, holding it close. If only his friends could see him now—Professor Lupin, at last. It had been a running joke for who knows how long, but one Christmas James bought him his monogrammed case. At first, Remus was annoyed. He had told his friends he would never be able to be a teacher, but they never understood: if Dumbledore let him be a student, what difference did it make the other way around? As it turned out, they were right. After years of evading the job, Remus hadn't a choice. He simply knew too much about Sirius Black to stay at home.
Black was clearly going to go after Harry—that much was obvious. Remus recalled how happy Sirius had been when he was named Harry's godfather:
"Can you believe it Moony? Me, a godfather?" Sirius asked incredulously. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Nah, mate. You're sure James said Sirius and not Peter?" The werewolf asked with a smirk.
"Please. Besides, he knew naming me godfather would make you one as well."
Remus nearly shuddered at the memory of how close he and Black had been. He felt guilty—it was his fault that 'Padfoot' was born, and Remus had an inkling it was how he was able to get past the dementors, which meant the school wasn't as safe as Dumbledore thought. Remus knew he had to get his hands on that blasted map he had made and quickly too, before anyone found out its existence. It's my fault the castle isn't safe for Harry, he thought rather morosely. Great step-godfather I made.
At that moment, the whistle of the train grew louder and louder. Soon enough, the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the station. Remus felt the whole in his heart grow somewhat larger in that moment. It was easy to forget what had been while he had worked dead-end jobs—mostly in the muggle world. In fact, other than his monthly transformations, Remus felt more connection to his muggle-born mother and her life than anything else. It was only over tea with his father the previous week had he begun to awaken the magical side again. Remus was hesitant to visit Mr. Lyall Lupin often—he felt like he disturbed his father's peaceful life. But he knew his father would want to know about his new position. Remus remembered it well.
Lyall beamed. His son, a professor at Hogwarts! It was more than he could have ever imagined.
"Remus, I am so…comment dit-on...proud of you," His father had told him. As he got older, the senior Lupin would forget more of his English. Remus smiled.
"Merci, Papa. It's certainly more than I pictured for myself," Remus said with a smile, knowing that he would eventually be having to explain to his father why the position had only lasted a year. "I'm hoping to be helpful. For Harry, for the others, to keep them safe from him," Remus added. Lyall's smile faded.
"I heard on the news. I still can't believe it. He was such a kind boy, your mother adored him too." Lyall smiled softly. "He truly loved you, Remus. Have you ever considered—"
"—that he didn't do it?" Remus snapped. "I tried that. It hurt worse, to imagine him innocent; locked in there, deserted by the man he loved…At least this way I could get over him."
Was Remus over Sirius Black? It was hard to tell. There were some weeks where he wouldn't think once about the man he once loved. If he was lucky, Remus could go a month without something reminding him of that floppy-haired pureblood. But now, thoughts of Sirius clouded Remus' mind every hour. Where he was, why he had turned on the Potters, and what Remus would do to stand up to him. But worse were the memories of what had been. Going to Hogwarts, the place they had fallen in love, made it all the more difficult for Remus to tell if he truly hated Sirius Black or not. After all, how do you hate a man who loved you in spite of everything you hated about yourself—no, in fact, loved you including all those things, big or small?
The train had stopped, and Remus got on to search for a compartment. He'd want something quiet—at least for a bit, so he could wander off to sleep. Eventually he found a place, and he carefully closed the compartment door before finding a corner by the window. He stowed his suitcase and wrapped his robe around him, concealing the wand grasped firmly in his hand.
As students and their families arrived, Remus was off to sleep—hoping his dreams would include anything, anyone but Sirius Black.
I'm thinking of leaving this as a one-shot, but we'll see...