Professor Remus Lupin stepped off the Hogwarts Express and drank in the sights around him. Thestral drawn coaches filled with the students transferring here now that the school was re-opened. Hagrid ambled past collecting first years, who now gaped not only at his size but also to his remarkable resemblance to a pirate. Metal peg leg instead of a magical replacement ("S'no worry Perfessor. T'easier this way, none a m' babies can munch t'ru dis ere beauty.") Remus shook his head, "beauty"? He was even starting to sound like a pirate, or maybe he always had.
Remus took a ride with the first years; he wanted that first glimpse again. Part of him couldn't quite believe that Hogwarts stood once more and that Albus Dumbledore himself would be there to introduce him back as DADA Professor. The world was too damaged for something that perfect, normal and familiar to exist in it.
The view did not cheat him, he gasped along with the students as the warm comforting glow of the castle came into sight. The muttered awe of the new students around him replenished his faith in the future even more and by the time he had reached the Great Hall he was positively buoyant.
The top table shook the joy out of him again. The new faces were not all so new but the absence of the ones he still half expected hit him full force in the chest. It had been four years, but it still hurt like yesterday.
Ron Weasley sat where Rolanda Hooch had once sat. Neville Longbottom filled Pomona Sprout's seat and Hermione Granger looked ridiculously high up in Filius' old seat. Auriga Sinistra's seat was occupied by a small stout man with an unfeasible moustache and Severus' seat rather disturbingly sported an occupant dressed in bright orange robes and an inclination to fidget constantly. Remus shook his head, Severus would be truly appalled.
The sorting ceremony took two hours. It had never seemed as though it really took very long but when the entire school had to be sorted...well... Obviously there were a few students who had been at the school before... but it wasn't enough to detract from thinking that it was the whole school being sorted.
Dumbledore introduced the staff and said something about starting anew and forging the future but Remus was already locked into his inner dialogue by then and thought that he could probably guess what he was going to say. He noticed the cheers when it was mentioned that Harry Potter would be a guest DADA lecturer four times each year. Harry was now the wizarding world's foremost authority on DADA and it was commonly known that he trained the most elite of the ministry's forces. Remus smiled at their exuberance, wondering briefly if it would extend to the whole subject or just to Harry's visits. Well, at least they were teaching under peacetime conditions. They didn't have to prepare these kids to face that which had slaughtered most of their predecessors.
Remus was just about to settle into bed early in preparation for tomorrow's lectures when the Headmaster popped by for a word. Apparently the DADA jinx looked to transfer to Potions; the Orange Professor whom the muggle-born children had already dubbed Tangoman, was a "no other choice" appointment. Not only would they have to watch over him to make sure he actually taught the students something, but he was not adequate to teach the NEWTS level students which meant that NEWTS Potions would not be available. Eight students had cancelled their application to transfer once they realised. On top of which, he was obviously not able to brew Remus' Wolfsbane and another source would have to be located. The Headmaster suggested that maybe Hermione could brew it, he didn't realise that they had tried that two years ago when supply hit an all time low. Remus had not had access to Wolfsbane for over three years, after the apothecaries stores dried up.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxHPxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Serenity Rubor had fallen into this particular offshoot of her profession completely by accident. If only she hadn't bragged about being able to brew Wolfsbane she wouldn't be tied to this career. It was the one time in her life that she had sworn never to drink again and stuck to it.
She grumbled but she did love the freedom that she had to research. There were five werewolves who had voluntarily submitted themselves for testing. Serenity suspected that two of them had done so to avoid being prosecuted for their secondary support of Voldemort but she knew enough about choices and chances now that she thought they deserved a second chance – as former Dark wizards and as werewolves. They were good young men.
The Ministry of Magic were tripping over themselves to put right all the miscarriages of justice that had been done over the years when no-one believed that Voldemort could or had returned. The fear-inspired legislation of the Ministry's previous hierarchy was being swiftly and systematically over-turned by the new Minister. Serenity had a little trouble accepting Arthur Weasley as the new Minister for Magic but she had to admit that he was doing a remarkable job. He had even considered an anonymous proposal to emancipate house elves, probably would have passed it too if the House Elves hadn't organised themselves and petitioned against it.
Serenity moved swiftly through the living quarters that housed the werewolf subjects and descended the cellar stairs so swiftly it looked as though she floated down. She often got comments on how quickly she moved; her purple cloak billowed out behind her as it tried to catch up with her. It was another thing that added to the ethereal awe she inspired in people.
Serenity was not a beautiful woman by classical standards but she was incredibly striking. She was tall for a woman and she dressed in deep rich tones laced up far enough past her bosom that she remained a mystery. She was a woman of extremes. Her black hair hung well past the bottom of her corsetry, whereupon the ends shone bright white against her dark robes, as though she had dipped the ends in a potion that removed the colour. Whilst conducting potions research in the cellar of patient research in the facility or instructing new staff – she was always immaculately presented in impressive (always) corseted gowns and heavy robes. Whilst tracking werewolves through the forest during certain experiments she would do without robes and dressed in a body hugging black outfit that was so practical that she could go anywhere and do anything. Some said that she charmed the outfit to make her invisible but it was her well learnt knowledge of the forests that guided her stealth. She was borderline reclusive and had never been known to socialise, but she seemed charming enough to those that had to interact with her on a daily basis. Excessively efficient and brusque, but charming nonetheless.
She was a quiet woman, a brilliant woman, and she was single-handedly responsible for The De-Were Project. During "The Meltdown" Minister Weasley had tried to follow through on every social injustice and do something about putting it right. The injustice to werewolves and the damage that the backlash had caused was tremendous. So, when Oliver Tatchell slunk into his office with a proposal for a Werewolf research project, he gave it consideration. When he returned with the name of the only person in the wizarding world who claimed to be able to make Wolfsbane – he approved it and took all necessary measures to secure the employment of Serenity Rubor.