Disclaimer: Ok. Repeat after me: Not incredibly wealthy, Not popular worldwide (a certain amount of notoriety in small circles in Wisconsin and a couple small towns in West Virgina, but that's it), Not the owner of Harry Potter & friends.
Tributes:
The three observers at the top of the steps to the entrance hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry watched with varying degrees of amusement, as a black Triumph motorbike made it's way up the path from Hogsmeade. It was obviously an older bike, but well cared for. By the time the rider had pulled up at the base of the stairs, the noise had drawn curious faces to almost every possible window. The as yet unknown rider blipped the throttle twice, then shut the bike down. The silence was as shocking as the noise had been, a moment before.
The rider dismounted, took the black helmet off, and hung it on a handlebar. He turned to face the castle, and ran a hand through his mussed jet black hair. It was longer than it had been for most of his time in school, just past his shoulders, but still never behaved the way he wanted it to. His emerald eyes lit up as he bounded up the stairs, to pull Remus Lupin, DADA professor, into a quick hug.
"Remus! How are you? Looks like Dora is finally managing to put some meat on your old bones. Her cooking improved any?"
"Hi Harry. Her cooking?" He grinned a bit ruefully. "More like the house-elves, here. There are many things my darling fiance excels at, but I'm afraid cooking will never be one of them. Why don't you say hi to these two, so we can head inside?"
"Good idea." He turned now to Professor McGonagall. "Good evening, Professor. It's good to see you again. How are you?"
The deputy headmaster of Hogwarts inclined her head to her former student. "Keeping busy trying to keep track of the new products your business partners insist on inventing." She shook her head at him, a some what stern expression on her lined face. "You do realize, I trust, that was not the most dignified entrance a new professor could make, do you not?" Stern though she tried to appear, she couldn't quite conceal a slight upwards quirk at the corner of her mouth.
The young wizard turned his head and gave Albus Dumbledore a quick wink before he replied, appearing to consider his answer. Then a grin spread across his face as he said, "Nope. Probably wasn't. I thought that kind of entrance would be a nice tribute to Sirius." He then turned to greet the Headmaster, his former mentor.
"Professor Dumbledore, I didn't get a chance to say anything at the ceremony, but I was really glad to know that you were feeling better." He gestured at the front doors. "This place would probably tumble down, without you." He was trowelling it on fairly thick, and Dumbledore knew it. He chuckled, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling behind the half-moon spectacles.
"Ah, Harry. Handy as ever with the bucket and spade, eh? For a short time, the wards could have fallen, but the school itself has a magic all it's own. It could have shown a bit of displeasure at my passing, but I have no doubt it would have stood the test. I already had contingency plans for the wards, if there had been the need, but happily, they did not need to be implemented." He started shepherding the others towards to doors. "What say we adjourn to the head table, so that we may enjoy our dinner?"
Dumbledore and McGonagall took the lead, and Harry hung back a second with Remus. "I have something to show you later. Pictures you might be interested in." At the werewolf's questioning look, he shook his head and said, "Later. You probably wouldn't be able to get through dinner, for the laughter."
Harry paused a moment, to quickly transfigure his leather riding jacket into slightly more dignified black robes, then continued into the hall. As they passed through on the way to the front of the Great Hall, he was chagrined to notice silver badges pinned to the front of quite a few Hogwarts robes. The only positive thing he could imagine about that was that they would likely annoy Professor Snape more than they did himself.
A moment later, they were at the head table, taking their seats. The headmaster remained standing, to address the students. "As you may have gleaned from the minor distraction a few minutes ago, our new assistant professor has arrived. "Professor Potter, would you like to say a few words?"
With a wry look, Harry stood and said, "Very few." There were a few chuckles at this. "I'll be helping Professor Lupin out for a few days a month in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'll also be heading up the Dueling Club, as well as the occasional lecture in a few of the other classes." He looked around the hall, letting a stern gaze rest for a moment on some of the students wearing the silver badges, indicating the members of his fan club. Privately, he thought to himself that he would find a way to get Ginny back for starting the whole thing. "If I see any of those badges in my classes or in the Dueling Club, the wearers will be helping with my demonstrations. I can guarantee it will not be enjoyable." With this, he took his seat, to enjoy the meal.
During the meal, Harry cast a few surreptitious glances at the man who had taken over as his godfather, after the loss of Sirius. Ever since his engagement to Nymphadora Tonks, Remus was looking much better than he had before. It was obvious that the metamorphmagus had definitely had a positive effect on him. She had obviously badgered him into taking better care of himself than he had done in a long time. Even his robes were new. He looked tired and a bit drawn, but nowhere near as bad as he had in the past. The couple getting together was one of the few positive things to have come from the war. Like so many, they had been thrown together by circumstances. Unlike most, it had genuinely worked for them.
When Remus and Tonks had first come together, it had been like the two halves of a whole being joined. They were both outcasts in their own ways.
Remus, of course, was a werewolf. Once a month, at the full moon, he transformed from a fairly distinguished, slightly rumpled looking man into, quite bluntly, a beast. With the Wolfsbane Potion, he was able to keep his mind during the change, but it was still a physically painful thing for him to go through. As a result, he was usually unable to do much of anything for a few days after the full moon. It drained him almost completely each time. He would be exhausted, physically and emotionally, for days at a time. This meant that, even had the attitudes towards lycanthropes been different, he would still have found it difficult, to say the least, to hold any type of normal job. Even the most liberal of employers would object, at some point, to the amount of time he needed to have away from the job each month. Because of this, Remus had spent most of his adult years living in the margins between the muggle and wizarding worlds. When Dumbledore had recalled the Order of the Phoenix a few years ago, he had seen right away that Lupin was one of the few people really suited to perform duties in the muggle world.
For Dora, it was because when her mother Andromeda had married Ted Tonks, a muggle, she had been cast out from her family. The Blacks were a very old pure-blood family, and extremely proud of it. Being related to a muggle was something they just weren't prepared to do. So, they had blasted her name from the family tree, and tried to forget that she existed. Dora's unique talent enabled her to blend in with anybody, wizard or muggle, to a degree that absolutely no one else could have achieved.
When the two had been assigned tasks in the non-magical world, such as guard duty over Privet Drive, they quickly proved to be the closest thing to a dream team as anybody could want. The two of them were good together. For lack of a better way to put it, they just seemed to fit.
Once dinner was over and the students on the way back to their dorms, Professor Dumbledore asked Harry to join him in his office for a few minutes. "I would just like to go over a few things with you. It shouldn't take long, and I daresay you and Remus will spend most of the night catching up on your adventures from this past summer."
Harry turned to Remus for a moment, asking, "Back in the quarters atop the stairs above the Defense classroom?" At the other's nod, he turned to follow Dumbledore to his office.
As they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the office, the headmaster spoke the password. "Licorice whip." The gargoyle sprung to the side, and Harry could almost swear he saw it wink, as it moved aside. They stepped onto the moving staircase, and were upstairs before Harry knew it. As they approached the door to the sanctum, Dumbledore said, "I must confess to having a small surprise waiting for you in my office. I hope you don't mind." He stepped to the side to allow the younger wizard to enter first. Harry saw the twinkling in the older man's eyes, and had to admit he was a bit worried. He had become wary over the years of surprises, especially coming from this quarter. Hesitantly, he turned the doorknob and walked through.
His immediate field of vision was filled at once by deep brown eyes, freckles, and long auburn hair. The first thing he registered, though, was the touch of soft lips on his. There was also a scent that was a subtle mix of vanilla and cinnamon. He felt two arms wrap themselves around his neck, and pull him in even closer. After all these impressions had a chance to make their way into every level of his mind, conscious and subconscious, he wrapped his own arms around his fiance and gave the kiss the attention it, and she, deserved. As usually happened with this couple, they seemed to forget they weren't alone. A minute or two later, they heard a gentle clearing of a throat. They slowly separated, and Harry turned to his new employer, his arms still around Ginny.
"Wasn't there supposed to be a surprise of some sort in here for me?"
Ginny smacked him on the shoulder. "Alright, then. See if I sneak away from St Mungos, again, for you."
Professor Dumbledore chuckled and stepped into his office. "Please, both of you, have a seat. I've taken the liberty of assigning you a suite of rooms across the hallway from the Defense classroom. They are yours to use at any time, and quite large enough for the two of you." At the looks of surprise on their faces he said, "Don't worry about the rooms. We have quite enough room to spare in this old castle, and as for you staying in the same suite of rooms, as you are now engaged, I doubt your parents will have much of a problem with it. Correct, Miss Weasley?"
She nodded. "Mum was hinting the other day about the two of us getting a place of our own. Actually, she just came right out and asked why we hadn't, yet. You know Mum, not exactly subtle."
Harry burst out in laughter as a look of realization came over his face. "So that's what that was about. She left the Dailey Prophet laying open on the table yesterday morning, with all kinds of ads in the real estate section circled." He looked at Ginny. "Any time you want to start looking around for a place, just let me know. I'm ready when you are." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, then turned back to the Headmaster. "Now, what do we need to discuss concerning arrangements around here?"
"First things first. Harry, as a member of faculty, professors here are expected to address each other by their given names. Please call me Albus. Just try to refrain from using nicknames, unless invited to use one by the recipient." He chuckled now. "Severus, for example, hates being referred to as 'Sevvie', as Madame Hooch found out to her sorrow last term." He paused, "Though she does have a much better grasp on how to use the revelo charm on any drinks she leaves unattended, now." Harry and Ginny pictured the look that would have to have resulted form the use of that nickname, and lost it. Every time one would start to breathe normally and feel the laughs tapering off, the other would mutter 'Sevvie', and they would be off again.
Once they finally calmed, Albus said, "Now, on to business..." They spent a while discussing the plans Harry had for the Dueling Club. Harry would run it along the same lines as he had the DA, though without the same need for secrecy. He also mentioned that he had given some thought to having Ginny help out with the club, as a sometime demonstrator, as well as showing some simple healing spells, for post-dueling. She'd had a lot of experience with that kind of thing, mainly in the battles that had led to the final one. She would be flooing to St Mungos on the days when she had her training there. Luckily, the courses she was taking at the wizarding hospital were largely self-paced, so her schedule was hers to make. Ginny would also help in the hospital wing when needed. If everything had been done in the usual way, she would actually still have a year of her education to finish at Hogwarts. However, she, along with a few other students who had shown exceptional ability and aptitude, had been offered the chance to sit her NEWTS at the end of her sixth year. She had passed with higher marks than even most seventh year students achieved. She had almost surpassed Hermione's marks, making the bushy-haired witch a bit nervous.
After a while, Albus had seen that the pair were growing a bit fidgety, and dismissed them, saying he had to go inventory his lemon drops. Harry mused that, sometimes, the older wizard could be just about as subtle as Molly Weasley.
The young couple strolled hand in hand through the hallways, making their way to the suite of rooms set aside for them. When they reached the portrait hole to the rooms, Harry said the password Albus had told him to use. "Heir to the Marauders." It had been meant as a temporary one, but he rather liked it. The two of them admired the painting for a moment. It was of a huge black Grim, really a remarkable likeness to the one they'd known. Quite fitting, as well, for someone instructing in the Defense Against Dark Arts.
The walked through the doorway that was revealed, and were surprised to find a well appointed space inside. There was a large sitting room, with a huge fireplace, and a large comfortable looking couch in front of it. Just past that was a sumptuous dining area, so that they could stay in at mealtimes if they wished. Off one side of the sitting room was a big bedroom, with a separate bathroom. The tub in there was the size of the one he remembered in the prefect's bathroom he'd used in his fourth year, while sussing out the second task of the Tri-Wizard tournament. They walked through into the bedroom for a moment, to take out their trunks and return them to normal size. The only thing that really surprised him was that the house-elves had apparently decided it was a good idea to move the Triumph into the sitting room as well. Strangely, it seemed to fit the decor. He shook his head. Trust Dobby to think of that. Had to be him, the little nutter.
Harry asked, "What do you say we go over and say hi to Remus? I think the full moon is tomorrow, and I don't know how long it will take him to recover from it."
"Good idea, love. Do you have the pictures from the Dursley's? Maybe it'll be easier on him if he has something to laugh about, if he has something fun to concentrate on." She paused, considering. "You know how much it bothered him, when he found out what they were really like to you. I think that he and Tonks were the only ones to really see what Vernon was like to you, the night they flew up to your window and saw him hitting you." She shuddered now. "That was the one and only time I've ever been scared of Remus in human form. He was in an absolute rage for a week afterward."
Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, I remember hearing about that. The worst part is that was actually pretty mild, for Vernon." He saw the look of fury that started to grow on his fiance's face, and calmed her with a touch. "Gin, that was long ago, and they will never have that chance again. I'll not go into that house again." He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, and rested his forehead on hers. "Besides the Burrow, wherever you are is my home. I no longer need them for a damned thing." He straightened now, and took her hand, pulling her with him as he walked through the suite. "Let's go see Remus."
They crossed the hall to the Defense classroom, and took the stairs up to the office. Harry knocked and Remus admitted him with a smile. "So, did you like the surprise Albus had in his office for you?"
Harry put his arm around the petite redhead with a smile. "Better than any of the other surprises he's had for me in the past."
"I'll bet. So what was that crack about old bones, earlier? Better watch out, or I'll teach you just what these old bones can do."
Ginny stepped in now. "I have a better idea. Maybe you'd rather see what payback looks like." At his slightly confused expression, a crafty smile appeared on her face. "The Dursleys finally got theirs."
His face darkened for a moment at the mention of that so-called family. Then her meaning caught up to him, and a wide, feral grin spread across his face. "Vernon?" He still owed him a good thrashing, by his reckoning. "That's what you meant by pictures earlier? I have got to see those."
Harry laughed and pulled out a packet of photos. "I think you'll like these."
That night, it was a good thing there was nobody else inhabiting that particular portion of the castle. The laughter that issued from within Remus Lupin's quarters even kept Peeves away for the entire night, with a slightly worried look on his ghostly visage.
The last heir of the Marauders had truly come into his full inhertitance.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this time. My muse, little wench that she is, apparently took a vacation for the better part of the week. The temp service finally sent over a replacement, and let's just say it wasn't pretty. Originally, I was going to have Harry staying in the castle alone, but Ginny wouldn't allow it. We all know how stubborn some redheads can be sometimes. I speak from experience, as my own mother was a redhead, and probably one of the most stubborn people on the face of this earth. Once she had decided on something, there was no backing down. Now, enough babbling, and on to a couple of quick replies.
Stahchild: I know exactly what you mean. Long chapters can be fun to read. Long drawn out scenes? Feh! Personally, I've never been all that good at getting up and expressing a lot of emotion in front of a lot of people. Not while sober, at any rate. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. As for 'Voldie's lil girl', all I can say to that is...eeeeeewwwwwwwww! Who would mate with anything that looked like that? Even Nagini would be making excuses..."Sorry, Tom. I gotta go...erm....shed...yeah! That's it! Gotta go shed the ol skin. See ya tomorrow." She'd have to slither off to take a good long shower...
GiGiFanFic: You got that one, dearheart, but missed the really huge gaping plot hole I didn't see until I read back over some of the earlier chapters. Namely, the fact that I didn't account for the fact that Ginny was a year behind the trio in school. So, I figured out a semi-plausible way to fix it, the result of which you see a few paragraphs above. Don't worry, though. It looks like you weren't the only one to miss it. Nobody else mentioned it either. LOL