Aurora Knightly woke to her first day as a professor at Hogwarts in a good mood. The first thing she saw as she rolled out of bed was the silver Directional that lay on her bedside table. Not only was she happy that she would be able to find her way around school today, but she was also (although she didn't want to admit it, You have no time for entanglements of that sort!) pleased that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been so kind. Aurora knew Remus had few belongings, and even fewer Galleons, so his gift seemed especially generous.
Walking into her bathroom/dressing room Aurora switched on the shower absentmindedly, as she pondered what to wear for her first day as a teacher. Should we be very McGonagall, or should we add a dash of Bill Weasley (without the fang earring, of course)? Gray pants? Black skirt? Tailored robe? Standard robe? Does it all really matter? Concluding that likely it didn't, Aurora focussed on her shower. When she was done, she bundled herself up in a warmed terry bathrobe, wrapped her hair up in a towel, and walked over to her wardrobe. Opening it up she surveyed her clothes, and picked out a tailored white linen blouse, gray pants, and a standard robe. She dressed quickly, brushed her now dry hair, applied a minimal amount of makeup and surveyed herself in the full length mirror her mother had given her for her twenty-first birthday. What she saw was a girl in her late twenties with golden coloured hair that tended to be wavy, large green-grey eyes that looked out through very long lashes, an aristocratic aquiline nose, high cheekbones, and a little red mouth. During the summer a few freckles appeared on her nose, which tended to crinkle when she laughed. She was of average height, with strong shoulders and a trim figure. To a new acquaintance she would have been thought beautiful, but looking in the mirror Aurora sighed. The last months had caused her ruddy colouring to wane, her cheeks to become slightly sunken, and her clothes to hang a bit more limply around her than they used to. Still, she cut a striking figure that morning, and she couldn't help smiling at the Hogwarts crest that lay on her robe. Feeling slightly better than she usually did in the morning, Aurora moved to go down for breakfast, but a voice stopped her.
"Well, that's as good as its going to get, I suppose," drawled a throaty female voice.
Aurora rolled her eyes at the ceiling, used to having her mirror talk to her.
"You know, I could smash you to smithereens with one well placed curse."
The mirror snorted, "I wouldn't if I were you, can't really afford seven more years of bad luck, can you?"
Having no suitable reply Aurora left the room. But not without looking in the mirror one last time and wondering idly if Professor Lupin preferred dark or light haired girls.
Classes Begin
After leaving the Great Hall from breakfast Aurora ran her fingers over the Directional in a figure eight pattern, said "Charms classroom" and followed its pulling motion until she reached her classroom. Just as she was about to open the door, she heard Professor Lupin's voice behind her.
"Good Morning, Aurora," he said, smiling as he beheld her in her Hogwarts robe.
"And good morning to you too, Remus."
"Did it work all right?" said Professor Lupin, nodding his head at the Directional.
"Perfectly! Thank you again, it's a wonderful little invention."
Hearing the sound of Aurora's class coming down the hall, Remus moved to hurry along to his own class. Talking over his shoulder, he called back at her, "Can you come to my office tonight around 8'clock? We can go over when I'll need you to teach for me and trade notes on the horrors of the first day."
Aurora laughed and called after him, "I'll be there...and good luck with your day!"
She turned towards her door again and stood at the front of her classroom just as the first of her students arrived. Looking at a piece of parchment in front of her, she saw that her first class of the day was with the sixth year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Ah, Harry's class...
Twenty-five students filed into her classroom, filling the rows of long tables that rose like bleachers on either side of her desk.
"Good Morning everyone," began Aurora,"I am Professor Knightly, your new Charms professor. As you know Professor Flitwick is taking a well deserved vacation, so I'll be taking over from him this year."
She looked out over her class and continued.
"Now, this year, as I'm sure you're all thrilled to hear, is when you will be tested at the NEWT level."
The class groaned as they thought of the loads of work ahead of them. She noticed Ron Weasley mouthing something to Hermione Granger about homework notes while Hermione shook her and mouthed "no" back. Aurora went on
"I know you all did well on your OWLs last year in this class, so I'm sure you'll be fine this year." She smiled at them, "As long as you do the mounds of homework I plan to give out."
More groans came from the students, although they smiled to, thinking that the new Charms professor seemed OK.
"Right then," said Aurora, placing a pair of copper coloured, oval shaped glasses on her nose, and picking up a piece of parchment, "I thought I would give you an overview of what we are going to study this year, so that you'll know what to expect, and hopefully look forward to. Charms actually becomes, I think, a lot more interesting in the sixth year. We're going to start by studying Abicio charms, which allow us to make an object disappear from one place and reappear in a different place," she looked over her glasses and smiled, "very handy for making dungbombs disappear when Mr. Filch or your mother suspects you have them."
The class laughed and some of them looked excited at this new idea for mischief.
"Then we're going to study the mysterious Cognatio or Blood charm, which involves making objects appear without the use of your wand...can sometimes be a bit painful..."
Some of the students looked a bit worried, but noticed that their Professor was smiling.
"Not to worry, I survived with only minimal damage. And then, what I am really looking forward to," she paused for dramatic effect, "is building our own model broomsticks, and learning the science behind the Firebolt."
This was greeted with gasps of delight and wide eyed happiness. Anything to do with Quidditch always seemed popular.
After the class had quieted down and Ron had stopped muttering under his breath "Bloody hell, even Fred and George don't know what's behind the Firebolt!" Aurora carried on.
"As there are a few minutes left in class, why don't we start learning the Abicio charm. It's really a two part charm, which starts with a quick bit a levitation. I know you've all done this since your first year, but why don't we review it quickly. On my count please levitate the apple in front of you: one, two, Winguardium Leviosa!
All around the classroom feathers jerked, fluttered, and flew. Everyone seemed to have got the hang of it, although Hermione kept telling Ron that it was "WinguardiUM not WinguardiA."
"It looks like you're all masters at levitation, so let's try the harder part."
Waving her wand in front of her, the words Leviosa Abicio appeared in front of Aurora, glowing orange and waving slightly.
"These are the words you must speak, while at the same time levitating your object, making it disappear for a quick moment, and then making it appear somewhere else. Lets try the disappearing bit."
Slowly the whole class got the hang of it, as Aurora walked up and down between them, giving them little tips or moving their wrists to the correct position.
"Excellent! Now, pair up, and lets try making an apple disappear from your hand and appear in your partners. Neville, you and Hannah can pair up...Hermione please go with Dean...Harry, you and Cho-"
Aurora noticed that Harry and Cho looked rather stricken at this suggestions, as did their friends. Curious as to what could be the matter, but not wanting to create an awkward situation, Aurora quickly changed her mind.
"Actually, Cho why don';t you work with Seamus, Harry please pair up with Lee."
The class went fairly well after this, although Neville managed to land his apple on Hannah's nose, causing it to bleed rather badly. Calming him down and promising not to tell his Grandmother, Aurora realized the class was almost done.
"All right everyone, it looks like we're done for the day."
Everyone got up to leave, but Aurora called them back with a laugh and a shake of her head.
"I may be new at this, but I do know that I have to hand out homework. I don't think a foot of parchment on the origins and uses of the the Abicio charm should be too painful. Please hand it in next class, and enjoy the rest of your day!"
Her sixth years tromped out in a good mood, dreaming up ways to send sparking fizzbombs up the robes of their fellow students.
Aurora sat down in her chair and let out a relieved sigh. Well you got through your first class! Looking up at the sound of shuffling feet, Aurora saw that her first year students had arrived. They looked nervous and unsure of what to do, so she hurried over to greet them and get them seated, feeling a special kinship with them, for it was their first day, too.
An Evening Meeting
Stifling a yawn, Remus sat back in his chair and looked over his notes for the day. It had gone well, everyone seemed happy to be doing hands-on Defense again. I wonder if it's because of Voldemorts return, or if they just like not having to read their textbooks? He looked at the wooden bar that lay on his desk, and which told him when he had to be at his class, how long it was until dinner, and other time related information. He saw that it read "Ten Minutes Until Professor Knightly arrives." Remus jumped up from his squeaking chair, fully awake now. He walked over to a small mirror that hung over a cabinet. He looked in it, adjusted his tie, and straightened his robes, cringing slightly at their frayed edges. "Looking good tonight, Lupin," he said with a sarcastic grin at his reflection, "really sweep her off her feet, you will." He was surprised at himself for saying this. Professor Knightly was just a fellow professor who was doing him a favour by teaching for him when he was unable to. A smart, brave, beautiful professor...REMUS! A knock sounded on his door and he turned to answer it, putting on the calm face that everyone was used to.
***
Aurora stood in front of her mirror, getting ready to go down to see Professor Lupin. She tried to convince herself that she was just tidying up so that she wouldn't appear overly disheveled in front of a fellow professor, but something in her subconscious was nagging her that is was more than that. She brushed her hair hard with a comb, as though it was its fault that her stomach was doing a strange little jumping dance. She decided not to change out of what she had worn all day, not wanting to make it look like she had put too much effort into getting ready, but she unbuttoned the top collar of her blouse so that it looked less sever, and undid the front of her robe, so that her normal clothes were not hidden underneath it. Then she applied a bit more makeup than was probably necessary for a meeting with a fellow teacher, and deciding enough was enough she told the Directional to take her to "Professor Lupin's office."
***
Opening the door to his office, Remus greeted Aurora, noticing that her hair waved softly around her face, and that her eyes seemed very bright and beautiful... He kicked himself mentally and tried to talk to her normally.
"So I see you've survived your first day!" he said, "How was it?"
Aurora sat down in the chair he offered her, "Well, I think overall it went fairly well, there was only one injury and I had to give out just one detention."
"To Draco Malfoy, per chance?" asked Remus knowingly,
Aurora smiled a bit savagely, "Yes, and I think I enjoyed giving it to him a little too much. His father and I were not the best of friends, you could say. But, how was your day?"
"Not bad, I only had to make three trips to Madam Pomfreys with students whose aim was a tab off."
Aurora was going to reply when she realized she hadn't given Remus the Butterbeers she had brought with her.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I thought you might like a little liquid refreshment while we go over the schedule."
"Ah, thank you!" He raised his bottle,"shall we have a toast.?"
Aurora smiled engagingly , "All right, what shall it be?"
Lupin tilted back his head and thought, "How about 'Cogito sumere potum alterum'?"
"I have no idea what that means, but all right," she lifted her bottle, "Cognito sumere potum alterum."
They both took a sip of their Butterbear, then Aurora asked Remus, "What exactly did I just say?";
"I think I'll have another drink."
"I didn't bring anymore."
"No, that's what you just said."
Aurora laughed, "Where in Merlin's beard did you get that deep and meaningful sentiment?"
Lupin looked at her sideways, "Well as a matter of fact, I heard a wizard use it on a very pretty witch at the Hog's Head the other day. I thought it seemed appropriate."
Remus couldn't believe he had just said that. Get a hold of yourself!
Aurora was slightly astonished that he appeared to be...flirting with her.
"Well," she said, smiling at him as warmly as she could, for he looked a little scared at what he had just said, "I'm sure she was very impressed."
He laughed, and decided it was time to get down to business before he did anything rash. He picked up a piece of parchment and passed it to Aurora, paying special attention not to brush her fingers as he did.
"Here is the schedule of when I'll need you to teach. Of course," he added drily, "you could just as easily look outside and see if the moon is full."
"Ah, but what if there was cloud cover?" Aurora said teasingly.
"Just what I was thinking," he replied with a quick smile. "Now, for the first week I'm going to be covering the Patronus Charm. The Ministry won't admit the Dementors are completely out of their control, but I think this would be a good thing for the students to master first, in case they run into any."
He looked at her to she if she agreed with him, but he was very startled to see she had gone ghostly pale, and had a very dead look in her eyes.
"Aurora!" He jumped up from his chair and bent over her. Very gently he shook her shoulders and called her name again.
The moment Remus had mentioned the Dementors Aurora had felt a sensation of being dragged down, a coldness settled over her, and in her mind she saw a scabbed hand reaching for her....Then she felt warm hands on her shoulders and her name being called...
"Aurora!" repeated Remus, getting ready to summon Madam Ponfrey.
Aurora seemed to snap out of a trance, she jerked upright, bringing her face, accidentally, very close to Remus'.
"Are you all right?" Lupin said, not taking his hands off her shoulders.
"Mmm hmm," replied Aurora a bit shakily," I, ah, I think I'll just have another sip of Butterbear."
Remus moved away from her, walking to his desk and opening a drawer.
"Here," he said, passing her a piece of chocolate, "try this."
She bit into the chocolate, and tried to calm herself down. Get a hold of yourself! He can't know... She finished up her chocolate, noticing that she felt much better from it.
"Thank you for the chocolate. Shall we continue?" Aurora said quickly, wanting to move on before Remus asked what had caused her sudden change.
Seeing as Aurora did not want to offer an explanation of what had occurred, Remus proceeded to show her the rest of his schedule, slightly confused, but not wanting to intrude on a private matter. At the back of his mind, though, an idea began to form...
"I think that takes us up to the Christmas break, then." said Remus, after about thirty minutes of going over his notes. "We can go over the rest of the year in January when I've ironed out exactly what I want to teach that term."
"Right, well I think that should be fine." said Aurora, seemingly back to her normal self. "Have you, per chance, talked to Dumbledore about the extra task he wants us to do?"
Remus shook his head, "No, he still hasn't approached me about it. Has he talked to you?"
"No, he hasn't said a thing. I guess he'll come to us in his own time. Have you any idea what he wants us to do?"
"Well," replied Lupin, frowning slightly, "I know Harry formed a secret Defense club last year, which was very successful. I rather suspect that Dumbledore wants to make it legitimate."
"Hmmm," said Aurora, interested, "Harry is quite the leader, isn't he?"
Remus smiled, "Yes, although I think at times he would like to melt into the background like everyone else. He can't help it, though, people look to him for guidance, not just because he was 'The Boy Who Lived,' but also because he seems to have very little fear of Voldemort. I just hope this year won't be too much for him...."
Aurora looked at Lupin's concerned face, and trying to cheer him up she said, "At least this year he has Quidditch, zooming around on a Firebolt can do anyone a world of good."
"Ah, I see I have a Quidditch fan in my office! Were you by any chance a member of the Gryffindor squad?"
"Yes," said Aurora, smiling as she remembered her old Quidditch days, "I was a Chaser."
"Wait a minute," said Remus, closing his eyes slightly in concentration, and then grinning,"you must have been on the legendary Charlie Weasley led team."
"Mmm hmm, I was," she said, and the added blushing slightly, "I was a bit of a tomboy back then. Sometimes I would forget I was a Chaser, and I would hit around a few Bludgers. Madam Promfrey was often busy after I had been playing."
Remus looked at her, laughing as he thought of her streaking across the Quidditch pitch with mud on her nose, the wind whipping her hair...Then he stopped himself as the picture became rather too appealing.
"We'll have to have a go sometime," he said, "I always enjoyed playing Keeper for James and Sirius when they practiced."
Because of his monthly transformations, Aurora realized that Lupin would not have been able to be on a team. He has missed out on so much...
"Yes, she said, titling her head mischievously at him, "I think it would be fun to score on you."
"And I, Ms. Knightly," he said equally as teasingly, "would very much enjoy blocking you."
"Well, we'll just have to see about that," she said, then looking at the clock she realized it was after ten."Oh Merlin! I had better be getting to bed, I hadn't realized it was so late."
Remus suddenly remembered her dazed state. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?" he said, a concerned look on his face.
"Oh," she said,"no, that's all right. I better let you get to bed yourself." In truth Aurora would have liked nothing better than to walk with him, but she didn't want him to think she was in any way unwell. He can't know! There are more important things than having him walk you to your room...Although at the moment she couldn't think what they might be.
"Well, all right then." Lupin said reluctantly, standing up from his chair and walking her to his door.
They stood in his doorway, unsure of how to say goodnight. He looked at her and said quietly, "Thank you again for teaching for me, I appreciate it a great deal."
She softly placed a hand on his arm, "Anything to help. Good night, Remus."
"Good Night, Aurora."
She turned and began walking away. He wanted to call after her and tell her that if she needed anything, or was unwell, he would help her. But instead he turned around, closed his office door and walked to his room.