Chapter 2:Moony and Nightly Rituals

Remus J. Lupin walked slowly back towards his room, hands in his pockets, and eyes staring in front of him at nothing in particular. Rounding a corner he very nearly bumped into the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah Professor Lupin," said Dumbledore, "all ready for the new year, are you?"


"About as ready as I can be, sir," replied Remus," one never quite knows what new stunts the students will think of next."

The headmaster laughed , "Yes, it seems like the next generation always seems to be able to improve on their predecessors. Although, " he added quietly, "James, Sirius, Peter, and yourself set a rather high standard that will not soon be forgotten."

"Yes," said Remus, staring at a point over the headmaster's right shoulder, "we probably were a bit too cocky for our own good...it didn't really help us much in real life, did it.?....Two are gone, one was pulled in by the dark forces, and the other is a frequently unemployed werewolf...."

Lupin's voice trailed off, and his usual bright, alert eyes seemed shadowed by a past he could not change.

"Remus," said Dumbledore softly, "I only mention your friends because of the threat that now faces us. All three were taken by Voldemort, but perhaps we were lucky enough to be left with the strongest of them all."

Lupin stared at the Headmaster, unsure of how to reply.

Dumbledore began to walk away from Remus, but turned back towards him and placed a old grizzled hand on Remus' shoulder.

"See you at the feast, Moony."

***
A Bath


Aurora blew a bubble off her chin, and savored the warm honey-flavoured bath she was enjoying before the hustle and bustle of the feast began. After her injury Aurora Knightly had shunned loud noises, and even now, eight months later, solitude was still what felt most comfortable. She lay her head back on the porcelain rim of the bathtub, and allowed her thoughts to drift back to what had brought her to be at Hogwarts once again.

Through her mind pictures of her office at the Ministry of Magic ran by... There was Fudge, telling her she was the sole Auror in charge of keeping track of "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and there she was losing her temper for the thousandths time, telling him his bowler hat must be getting to tight if he wouldn't admit Voldemort was back.....Pictures of herself defending herself against innumerable curses.....Her meeting with Dumbledore...Then a kiss......Six months in a private ward at St. Mungo's...

Aurora opened her eyes quickly, taking in the surroundings of her bathroom, her breathing more shallow than was healthy. Aurora frantically tried to think of something pleasant, but it was like creating a successful Patronus on your first try. Suddenly she had a thought. Lupin. He's really almost like Dumbledore, calm and cool. Although, of course, Lupin's much younger...Aurora noticed that she had been clutching her knees to her chest, and she concentrated on stretching out her cramped limbs, rather then following that train of thought. Calmer now, she scrambled out of the tub, realizing that she had better hurry if she didn't want to be late for the feast.

***

A Shave

Unaware that he had been on the mind of the Charms professor, Remus Lupin stood in front of his sink, razor posed in his hand. His mind wasn't on making himself presentable though, but on what Dumbledore had said, "Moony." Why would he mention my old secret name? Professor Dumbledore had always turned a bit of a blind eye to the "secret" roamings of Padfoot, Wormtail, Prongs and Moony, commonly known as Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Remus J. Lupin, but today it seemed as though he had purposely raised attention to their group. Remus had tried hard to forget about the past, to look at what still must be done, but at times thoughts of his youth and the bleak future he faced took over. What are you going to do once we're rid Voldemort? You think people are going to want to hire a werwolf? Not bloody likely. Normally a fairly optimistic man, Lupin felt slightly depressed, memories of his days at Hogwarts were all around him, and now even Sirius was not there to share them with.

He shook himself slightly and began to shave. Ah well, at least you're working with Dumbledore again, and there's always Harry to look after . Least you can do for James. Lupin rinsed his face and ran a hand through his graying hair. Getting old, aren't we? He sighed again, and thoughts of what a life without the torment of his monthly transformations would have been like flooded his mind. Think you'd like to be married, old man? He knew he would have liked it, some days he felt hopelessly lonely. Somehow I don't think any girl would like her husband taking off once a month. For some reason these thoughts brought to mind the new Charms Professor. Remus smiled as he remembered her eyes that had looked at him over the Daily Prophet, with those impossibly long lashes of hers. He was puzzled as to what exactly had caused her to apparently lose so much of her power, Dumbledore had explained to him that she was one of the best Aurors in the wizarding world, but had been in a terrible "accident." It startled him to see her eyes sometimes looking so vacant, it almost reminded him of a man he had once seen who had been kissed by a Dementor....Thoughts of something kissing Professor Knightly caused Remus' stomach to do an odd flip, and he hurriedly splashed his face with cold water. Don't forget what you are.

***
Dumbledore & Hagrid


Albus Dumbledore sat in his high backed chair at the teachers table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. It was fairly silent right now, the students had yet to arrive and the teachers were just beginning to drift in for a quick meeting before the festivities began.

The Headmaster looked out over his half-moon spectacles and observed Professor Lupin and Professor Knightly laughing about something near the back of the room. Professor Snape stood off to one corner, glaring at them in obvious distaste.

Dumbledore was pleased to see Professor Knightly looking more like the young women he remembered her to be. She stood like her old confident self, her golden hair lit up by the candles, and her fingers wrapped around something that lay around her neck. Professor Lupin himself seemed to be looking more alive then normal, he was standing casually, hands in his pockets, saying something to Professor Knightly that made her go slightly red. "I wonder...," thought Dumbledore.

When Aurora had first approached him with her frustrations towards Cornelius Fudge and her suggestion that she join the Order of the Phoenix he had been very pleased. For years he had hoped she would join them, but knew of her families ties to the Ministry of Magic and Fudge. After her terrible accident Dumbledore did not speak of her again about their previous conversation, thinking she might have been drained of all her power, and too weak to continue as an Auror. She had again approached him, though, wanting to help in some way, but believing that all her powers were gone, had not been sure if she would be that helpful. He had come up with the thought of hiring her as the Charms professor, as well as another job that would be helpful in her recovery. Dumbledore had not told her, but he could tell that she had lost none of her formal, formidable powers, for this she would need to discover on her own. Now that he observed her, though, he felt bringing her here might have even more pleasant outcomes than he had originally thought..... He was interrupted from his pondering by the arrival of Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, as well as Professor of The Care of Magical Creatures.

"Evenin, Professor Dumbledore, sir," greeted Hagrid, sitting his massive frame into a groaning chair.

"Good Evening, Hagrid," replied Dumbledore, looking at his old friend.

"So, got us a couple of new teachers, have ya?" asked Hagrid, nodding his head in the direction of Remus and Aurora.

"Yes, Professor Knightly is taking over from Professor Flitwick, and Professor Lupin is back as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"Ay', well 'course I know Professor Lupin, good man 'e is. Poor feller, all 'is mates gone, needs someon' he does," added Hagrid with a sly look.

"Actually Hagrid," said Dumbledore his clear eyes twinkling, "I was just thinking something of the sort."

"Yeh don't say? Well now, ya know that ther' Professor Knightly? Real pretty thing she is, an' smart as a tack, ta boot."

"Quite true, Hagrid."

"Ay' we'll just hav' ta wait and see then, I suppose. 'Course nothin' wrong with a little push, if ya know wha' I mean, Professor?"

"I do indeed, Hagrid, I do indeed."