Progeny

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This story is tentatively named; I will take suggestions on any better names!

This story starts 8 years after the final defeat of Voldemort. It respects canon through book 6. It does not attempt to predict anything that will happen in book 7, except in regards to which characters are still alive. These characters do not like talking about the past (for obvious reasons!)

Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Harry Potter, the fact that I am a University of Illinois college student sort of gives it all away!

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Chapter 2: The first day of classes

The next day, Tonks had to teach four lessons, the first years and second years. The morning passed with little to note. The second years were used to her teaching style, and seemed to be quite on schedule with the curriculum. All of them had done their homework over the summer, and Tonks did not look forward to grading it.

What was I thinking when I gave them all this homework for over the summer? When am I ever going to find time to grade all of this? Tonks went through this same thing at the beginning of every school year. She somehow managed to forget her resolutions by the time it came to assigning the next summer's homework.

Later that day…

The first year Gryffindors and Slytherins came pouring into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Tonks greeted them all, and passed around printed pieces of parchment. Before the kids could get all worried she said, "Don't worry. This is not a pop quiz or anything. It's simply a survey on what you currently know about some of the things we will be studying, and how you think these things behave. Also, how you personally feel about these topics. We will be covering all these this year, and we will use these questions at the beginning of each unit to sort of introduce it."

All of the students got to work, until one girl giggled.

Tonks looked up, "Anna Elizabeth Shacklebolt, what is so funny?"

The other students looked at Anna with rather stunned looks on their faces. Those students from wizarding families stared because of her last name and those who were Muggle-born because the teacher had used her middle name in class.

"The first question is sort of funny," Anna said. "Can we include our own examples? Who will be reading these?"

Tonks burst out laughing too at that point. She had guessed which question Anna was laughing about, and was right. "Well, you will read your responses out loud to the whole class, and the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be reading these too."

Then Tonks felt a little sorry for the other students. They had no idea what their teacher and the Minister of Magic's daughter found so funny.

"Well, you see, there is a reason behind the order we are studying things. The other DADA professor is a werewolf, and he, the Headmistress, and I thought it important for you all to learn about werewolves and hopefully rid yourselves of prejudices so you can get to know him without constantly thinking about it. Anna is a family friend; I worked with her father when I was an Auror. She knows the other DADA professor as well, since he is my husband. He is the one who conducted your sorting ceremony last night."

The class was silent. They remembered how calm, kind, and quiet the man who had helped with the sorting was. They knew that a werewolf was teaching at Hogwarts, but they would never have thought that he was married to someone, or that he would seem so harmless.

"Now, finish those papers, and we'll start on our first unit, werewolves."

The class hurried to finish the surveys. They really wanted to know about this subject, now that they would be living near one. Though some of them had heard that werewolves were all bad, they knew that if this kind woman was married to one, then they couldn't be all that bad.

About ten minutes later, the class had begun to get rather talkative, and Tonks started up the discussion about werewolves, taking attendance as they each in turn discussed what they knew and thought about werewolves. Anna had some rather interesting things to say, most of them relating to her 'Uncle Remus' and jokes she had heard her father making with said uncle.

A rather short, stocky boy with dark hair stood up to speak next. Tonks was busy marking on her sheet that, yes, Anna Shacklebolt was present in class. Her head shot up though, when the boy started to speak. That voice, I know that voice!

Tonks looked up, saw the boy, and promptly fainted. The class erupted in chaos.

Remus heard the commotion from their office where, as promised, he and Sirius were having their tea. He ran into the classroom, and Sirius followed.

McGonagall also had heard, and entered the classroom from the hallway. They both gasped and McGonagall had to steady herself on a desk when they saw the boy.

Only Sirius seemed unconcerned. "Hey!" he said. "You look just like me!"

McGonagall reacted first, calling the class to order and telling everyone to regain their seats, except for that boy. "What is your name?" she asked kindly.

The boy was terrified. Why were all these people so surprised to see him? Had he done something wrong? He didn't know very much about the wizarding world, and he was afraid that he had broken some rule that Muggles didn't have. "Umm. My name is Liam ma'am. William O'Dubh.