A Doggy for Christmas - Advent's Calendar Story 2022
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
McGonagall raised her wand. "I swear on my magic to keep Harry Potter's secret. So mote it be."
"Thank you, Professor." Harry smiled. "When Sirius was released during the summer holidays, he became my guardian; however, I am living together with Remus. He became the father for me whom I never knew."
"That's why your familiar demanded that I call Sirius the other time. I was wondering…" She remained pensive for a moment, before she continued, "Would Mr. Black perhaps be willing to accept the position?"
"I don't think so," Harry replied. "He's happy to have his position as an Auror back. Remus would be the obvious candidate."
McGonagall sighed. "You might or might not know this, but Remus Lupin is a werewolf, and…"
"No, Professor." Hermione interrupted the older witch's tirade in apparent excitement. "He was a werewolf until this summer, but someone cured him from lycanthropy."
"Ms. Granger, as happy as I would be for him if that was true, I highly doubt it, as there is no known cure for lycanthropy."
Daphne sighed. "Perhaps, Madam Pomfrey could check on him and declare him free of lycanthropy?"
"Miss Greengrass, that is a wonderful idea. Would Mr. Lupin be willing to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts though?"
Harry shrugged. "I think so, but we could simply call him over and ask him."
However, McGonagall still did not seem convinced. "I don't know if you're aware of the fact that the Defence Against the Dark Arts position is cursed?"
Seeing Daphne nod, Harry cast her a questioning look. Daphne quickly explained what her parents had told her about the curse before suggesting, "We could try to alter the name of the class, for example, just to Defence, and change the classroom as well as the professor's quarters. Maybe that'll break the curse."
Harry showed his head of house a small parchment with the address of Furry House, before he carefully returned it to his inner robe pocket. McGonagall finally leaned into the fireplace and called Remus over. As soon as she vacated the spot in front of the fireplace, Remus stepped out. "What happened?" he asked in obvious concern.
"Hi Remus, so nice to see you, too," Harry replied and swiftly introduced his friends.
"Harry and his friends came to complain about our current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and Miss Granger suggested hiring you in his stead."
"Professor, if you don't need us anymore, we will give you some privacy," Daphne spoke up, causing McGonagall to cast her a look of appreciation.
"Thank you, Miss Greengrass."
Harry left after his friends, smiling when Whisper reassuringly licked Remus' hand, before she swiftly followed him outside.
"Thanks, Hermione and Daphne. Your input was brilliant," he thanked his friends, before they made their way out of the castle to engage in an impromptu snowball fight on the grounds. 'I hope they'll hire Remus,' he thought to Whisper. 'He'd be a much better teacher than Lockhart.'
'I hope McGonagall will stand up to Dumbledore for this,' Whisper replied, barely evading a snowball from Blaise.
=Let me get at you,= she mock growled, before she stood in a short distance from the boy with her back pointed at him and used her front paws to dig up some snow that flew right into his face.
HP
It was shortly before curfew, when McGonagall called Harry into her office. Whisper insisted on accompanying him. To his surprise, Remus was still sitting in one of the visitor chairs.
McGonagall cast him a small smile. "I shall leave the two of you to talk. Harry, I will accompany you back to the common room afterwards, considering that curfew has already begun."
"Thank you, Professor." As soon as his head of house had left her office, he turned to Remus. "Did you get the position?" he asked, eagerly.
Remus nodded and explained. McGonagall and Dumbledore had a huge fight about dismissing Lockhart and hiring him in his stead. The headmaster did not even believe Pomfrey, when she declared Remus as lycanthropy-free. In the end, however, McGonagall won by reminding Dumbledore that Daphne Greengrass had been among the students, who had brought the matter to her attention, and her grandfather was a member of the Hogwarts board.
"Professor Dumbledore can be glad if they don't fire him as headmaster, considering what he did to you," Remus finished his explanation. "He can't afford having any member of the board against him."
"Congratulation, Remus. That's really good news." Harry beamed, and Whisper joyfully jumped around the two of them in apparent pleasure.
"I will need to return to Hogwarts shortly after Christmas to prepare my office and work on my lesson plans."
"I'll help with your office, and I'll ask my friends if anyone is willing to assist," Harry promised. "I am so looking forward to going home soon."
Remus smiled, as he carefully pulled him into a light hug. "Sirius and I are very much looking forward to having you at home, too."
"I still need to buy Christmas presents for everyone. Can we do that on the first day of the holidays?"
"Of course, Harry. Please think about what you wish for Christmas and tell Sirius and me, when you come home."
HP
Christmas at Furry house was a happy event, and Harry thoroughly enjoyed his first Christmas with Remus, Sirius, Whisper and Lila. He was sure that he must have had a happy Christmas together with his parents in the past; however, considering that he had only been five months old at that time, he could not remember anything.
Shortly after Christmas, Remus and Harry returned to Hogwarts together, accompanied by Whisper and Lila. The new Defence classroom was in the dungeons, near the Potions classroom, to banish all similarities to one former Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
HP
The second-years realised soon that Remus was a wonderful Defence professor. A couple of times, Harry heard Professor Snape make snide remarks about "Gallivanting the grounds in the moonlight with Potter," however, he ignored the always grumpy Potions Master, albeit contented that Whisper used to growl at him, whenever she heard him make such comments.
The school year was almost over, when Madam Pomfrey managed to cure Mrs. Norris, who had been petrified during the last couple of months, and Whisper seemed happy to have her friend back. Harry even had the impression as if the cat and in extension the caretaker were friendlier to him and his friends than to anyone else.
'Thanks, Whisper, for keeping us in the good grades with that cat,' he once thanked the canine, who tilted her head and uttered, =She's cuddly and always nice to me.=
HP
A few weeks before the end of the school year, the six friends went to see Remus after the last afternoon class.
"Professor, we need some advice." Hermione cast Daphne a helpless look.
"We can't decide which electives to choose," the Slytherin supplied, helpfully.
Remus quirked an eyebrow. "And you thought that I'd be able to advise you?"
"Yes please." Hermione cast the professor a pleading look. "You know so much more than us."
tbc tomorrow...
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