1 September 1993
The Welcome Feast was at its end, and the unmistakable din of students swarming out of the Great Hall settled over Remus like a warm blanket. He placed his neatly folded napkin next to his plate and rose to his feet, following the other professors off the staff podium to help prefects shepherd younger students toward the Entrance Hall.
The reactions of the staff to Remus's arrival at the start of the feast had been very much along the vein he'd anticipated. The professors he'd had in school—McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Babbling—had received him warmly and excitedly, along with Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey, Madam Hooch, and the bubbly Muggle Studies teacher called Charity Burbage. Madam Pomfrey had actually hugged him when she'd seen him, clutching his hands and thanking him profusely for taking care of Harry and the other students on the train.
The other staff members, however, had been far less enthusiastic. Filch and Madam Pince both looked horrified to have a Marauder back in their midst, no matter that it was only Remus. Professor Trelawney of Divination had appraised him for several awkward moments through a wide-eyed, intense gaze. Professor Vector of Arithmancy had visibly hesitated to shake his hand, and Professor Sinistra of Astronomy had eyed him with downright distrust.
And then, there was Snape. The potions master hadn't waited long to corner Remus by the staff table before the feast, his lip curling with loathing.
"Lupin," Snape had sneered. "My, my…how the tables have turned."
"Good evening, Severus," Remus had replied pleasantly, holding out his hand in greeting. Snape had glowered down at his outstretched hand in distaste for several minutes, before turning away abruptly to take a seat at the other end of the head table. Remus had seen a muscle convulsing in his jaw for most of dinner.
"How does it feel to be back?"
Remus blinked, looking around. A beaming Professor McGonagall had just shooed three students away from the staff podium and joined him where he was standing between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Remus smiled back at her, and the two of them began to walk out of the nearly-emptied Great Hall.
"Strange," he responded, after a moment. "These halls are…filled with memories."
McGonagall looked at him, her expression softening. "I realized, after I received your Patronus this evening, that I should have warned you about Harry. He looks exactly like—"
"—James. It's uncanny," Remus finished, shaking his head. "Honestly, Professor, I don't think any warning would have prepared me for seeing Lily's eyes again."
McGonagall eyed him again, her expression unreadable. "Will you tell him?" she asked quietly.
Remus considered for a long moment.
"No," he murmured finally. "Best not, I think."
A look of mingled sympathy and sadness crossed McGonagall's face, but she didn't say anything. The two of them continued into the Entrance Hall, where a great number of students were lingering by staircases to chat and catch up. At the sight of the formidable-looking deputy headmistress, however, most quickly began retreating in the direction of their dormitories.
"Pick up the pace, Mr. Stebbins, Mr. Tuckett—you as well, Miss Fawcett!" McGonagall called sharply, sweeping through the Entrance Hall and breaking up a knot of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. "And you two! What, may I ask, do the two of you think you're doing behind that suit of armor?"
Remus watched in amusement as McGonagall rounded on a pair of identically freckled, red-haired twins, who had just emerged from behind a nearby suit of armor. They were both sporting looks of sheer innocence that did not fool Remus in the slightest. He had seen those very looks far too often on James and—Black.
Evidently, McGonagall felt the same way. "Upstairs, now, or it's a week of separate detentions for both of you," she told the pair with asperity, eyes narrowed. "And that suit of armor better be exactly how you found it!" she yelled after them, as they cantered up the nearby staircase. One of the twins turned and shot her a wink over his shoulder.
Remus chuckled under his breath. "Weasleys?"
"Fred and George Weasley, to be precise," McGonagall said. The deputy headmistress was still glaring in the direction the twins had disappeared, as she and Remus continued their stroll through the Entrance Hall, toward her office. "They give their uncles a run for their money, you'll soon find."
Remus realized she was referring to the Prewett twins, and his heart gave a small jolt in his chest.
"They might give your bunch of baboons a run for its money too, come to think," McGonagall added, arching her eyebrows at Remus. "Which brings me to my point."
Remus met her gaze, stomach clenching. "Your point?"
They had almost reached the door to her office. The clamor of students fighting their way through the Entrance Hall behind them had faded to a soft buzz.
McGonagall eyed him closely—too closely—for a moment. Then, she lowered her voice.
"Remus, I cannot imagine how hard this is for you," she said, without breaking her gaze. "To be back here—especially at this time, given the recent news from Azkaban…" she trailed off, and Remus swallowed heavily. "I cannot imagine," she said again. "But I must ask you, as a colleague, not to let old grudges fester."
Remus blinked, frowning. "What do you mean?"
McGonagall sighed.
"Severus," she explained. "He has been less-than-welcoming of your hire since the moment Dumbledore announced the news to the staff. I do not know where he stands with you, or what he will say or do to you this year, but I must ask you not to indulge in whatever manifestation of schoolboy resentment he may choose to display."
Remus shook his head, utterly bewildered. "Professor…I would never," he said honestly. "The man will be brewing the potion that will save my life this year. Regardless of where we left off at eighteen, I have no intention of putting our professional relationship on the line."
McGonagall gazed seriously at him for a moment longer. Then, she shook her head, a thin smile spreading across her face. "It amazes me, every day, how little our students change from their Hogwarts days."
Remus stared at her. But before he had a chance to say anything, McGonagall turned and pushed open the door to her office. "I have your word, then, that you will do everything in your power to maintain peace between yourself and Severus?"
"I—of course, Professor—"
"I said it in February, and I'll say it again—I'm not your professor anymore," McGonagall's eyes twinkled. "Good luck with your classes tomorrow, Remus."
