Author's note: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Hogwarts: Assignment #7, Circus Skills Task 1: Write about someone supporting their partner.

Warnings: NA

A Generous Offer

"I still think we could make it work," Dora said from her spot, stretched out on the picnic blanket with her feet in the grass, her head on his lap. He played with her hair, letting the choppy pastel blue strands slip through his fingers. It was a lazy gesture, one that could only be so casual and careless because he knew he'd be able to stroke her hair forever.

"We don't have to talk about this now," Remus said. "It's Teddy's birthday."

They could hear their son giggling away as Harry pushed him gently in the baby swing, on the other side of the park. They had a great view of what was frankly an adorable sight from the picnic blanket where they were lounging amongst leftover sandwiches, empty bottles of butterbeer, cupcakes frosted with turquoise icing, and their one-year-old's diaper bag.

"Exactly, we basically have free childcare right now and time to talk," Dora said. Remus didn't answer. "Are you going to make me sit up to force you into this conversation?"

"No," Remus said. "I… I admit, it was a generous offer."

"Generous?" Dora scoffed. "There was nothing generous about it, Remus. They would be lucky to have you back on staff. I hear things, you know. You were a wonderful Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and you'd only be better now after all we'd been through. Students would be happy to have you. I mean, look at Harry. He turned out alright."

"As happy as I am that you think our son's godfather 'turned out alright,' I must say that I had very little to do with that. Harry was just a very gifted student and a hard worker and…"

"You talk like a teacher too," Dora said.

Remus chewed his lip and twisted his fingers in her hair, wondering if the texture of Dora's hair was right today for any curls he made to stay. She sensed him stalling for time and sat up, sitting cross-legged. They had been laying in the sunshine for so long, he had nearly forgotten just how many freckles she had splashed across her cheeks this morning—with the ease and spontaneity that the non-Metamorphmagus of the world may use to apply make-up.

"McGonagall said she would be happy to accomodate for us," Dora said. "Let Teddy and I visit as much as we want, work out weekends and nights where you could come home instead of patrolling hallways and supervising students… and you'd have access to the Wolfsbane Potion again if you took the job."

"I don't want it to be about that, Dora," Remus said.

"I'm not making it about anything," Dora said. "I just… all these things are important to you. Your health is important. Your skills are important. Your experience is important. Teddy and I are important…"

"So important," Remus said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. Dora smiled. She called him old-fashioned for that particular gesture, always had, but Remus knew she secretly loved it.

"I think you would be happy working again," Dora said. "I can picture you so easily in a classroom teaching kids how to be strong against the world, how to find a Grindylow's weak spots, helping them find themselves and the things they're interested in, devouring every book in the library, helping students disentangle myths about lycanthrope... You're such a good father that you're not wasted, staying home with him by any means, but you… you're good at teaching. You could be doing such important work, work that you love and that I know you've missed..."

"You work too," Remus said. "Who would take care of Teddy?"

"Mum," Dora said simply. "She's bored out of her mind now that she's retired, this would be a public service really."

"What about your night shifts?" Remus asked. There were plenty of Death Eaters left to round up and prosecute after the war. Azkaban being reformed and the Dementors torn from the prison had only added additional work for the Auror Department.

"McGonagall said she would accommodate, and Harry's never said no to spending extra time with his godson," Dora said. She spoke so nonchalantly, it was as if these questions weren't even worth asking. She leaned her cheek on a hand.

"Any other problems?" she asked.

"You've thought about this," Remus said.

"I knew you would," Dora said. "I wanted to be there to kick you in the right direction when you inevitably saw all the problems and obstacles in the way of… well, in the way of a really great opportunity."

Remus looked away from her and back towards the swings where Harry and Teddy were frolicking. Teddy was still giggling, which was making Harry crack up in turn. Remus had only seen him truly laugh a few times since the war, and Teddy was involved in most of those occurrences. Teddy, meanwhile, hadn't stopped giggling since the first time he'd done it. He'd only been three and a half months old, which Andromeda had said was a bit early but none of them were complaining. Dora had been rocking him to sleep and Remus had walked into the nursery with what had been Teddy's favourite toy at the time—a stuffed jarvey with soft, caramel fur. He had seen his favourite toy and giggled, and broken Remus' heart into a thousand little happy pieces. Just like he had when he'd been born, just like he had when he'd taken his first step, said his first 'Mama,' blown out the candles on his birthday cupcake... The jarvey was in the diaper bag right now, and part of Remus wanted to reach out for it.

"I'm going to miss you," Remus said finally, his mouth dry. "I'm going to miss you and Teddy if I go."

"And we'll miss you," Dora said. She put a hand on top of his. "Remember last May, when we got the message that something was happening and we had to decide whether or not we would go to Hogwarts and fight?"

"Vividly," Remus said. "As I recall, it was not a long discussion."

"No," Dora said. "We wanted to do what we could to make the world better for our son, to be people he could be proud of, to be examples, to use all of our skills and experiences and potential for him…"

"It was a short discussion," Remus said.

"It was," Dora said. She squeezed her hand around his. "I'm not going to pressure you to do anything. If you want to go back to teaching, I'll open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. If you decide to stay home with Teddy, I'll drink to that too. But you can be good to him and good to the world in a lot of different ways. Think about it, that's all I'm saying. Really, I'm just looking for a reason to drink as you can see—what with my baby being a whole year old now..."

That sent Remus laughing, and his laughter joined Teddy's in the quiet park.

Stacked with: Hogwarts; Shipping War; Spring Bingo; Link Maker; Chimera Creator

Word Count: 1175

Spring Bingo

Space (Prompt): 2E (Sunshine)

Shipping Wars

Ship (Team): Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

List (Prompt): Spring Medium 2 (Sandwich)