Disclaimer: several scenes in this chapter are based largely off of and/or completely copied from of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling. They belong strictly to her, and I'm just borrowing them for the sake of this fanfic :)

Thanks for reading and for all the lovely comments! This one's the longest yet, don't know if that's good or not – leave a comment telling me your preference? (and what you think of the story?)

For eleven years Remus had been slowly fading away.

Of the horrible night when everything had changed, Remus remembered little. He remembered even less of the weeks surrounding that; of the funeral of his three best friends, or the celebrations of the disappearance of Voldemort, or the newspapers slandering Sirius, or even of what happened to Harry.

He could no longer really care. Remus had nothing to live for anymore, now that his friends were gone, killed, dead, now that his love, the one person who he had trusted with his entire being, had betrayed not only him, but his best friends and everything they believed in. More than the deaths, his mind couldn't comprehend Sirius's betrayal. How could Sirius, his Sirius, James and Lily's best friend, have done such a thing? How could Sirius have killed James, Lily, Peter, and then thirteen muggles afterward? And how could he have done that to him? Remus's mind kept turning it over, ripping the thoughts to shreds, trying to find a loophole. But there was none. For Sirius had been the secret keeper, and he was the only one who could have betrayed them.

Once, Remus had thought of visiting Sirius in Azkaban, where he had been taken. But as much as Remus wanted to see Sirius, to hear his side of the story, to hear that there was some explanation – he couldn't. Because what if there was no reason? What if it was the truth?

And this treachery, this betrayal that proved his entire life a lie, made life not worth living anymore, even more than his friend's deaths. Only his mother, and little Harry Potter – those where the only two things that kept him alive anymore. Yet he could not bring himself to seek out Harry Potter, or even to go anywhere near Hogwarts. It was far too painful, even after five years, ten years, eleven years – Remus wanted to hide, he did not want to have to think about his painful past.

For eleven years Remus did not live, but simply existed. He flitted around from place to place, in shabby clothes, living in small, cramped spaces. He taught at colleges and high schools, but never for very long. Sometimes he would leave in the middle of a semester, or other times he would make it through the entire year before it would become too painful for him to stay in one place where his memories could viciously track him down. Occasionally he got thrown out of the school when they got suspicious of him missing so many days (always full moons, although no muggles ever figured it out) and accused him of being on drugs, like he had once lightly worried about with Lily. Faces, names, thoughts, words – he remembered nothing, nor could he bring himself to care. It didn't seem to matter anymore. Why would it matter, when James and Lily and Peter were dead, and Sirius had betrayed him?

He taught English, but he no longer enjoyed it the way he once had. Reading had become a way to escape and to distract, but it did not last – he always had to wake up once more and resurface to this world of pain. And no longer could he even think of poetry, let alone read it.

Summers were the worst, when he had not even teaching to distract him. He would move around often, finding small places to live before moving again. Occasionally he would stay with his mother, but that was painful too.

It was hard for his mother to see her son like this, and she tried to help him. "Remus," she would say, "You have start living. You can't keep going on like this."

He would just turn his head away. He would stay alive, yes, but he would not live. How could he, after everything? How could he get close to anyone again, when they would just lie and betray him? No one in the wizarding world wanted him, even if he had wanted to rejoin them; he was a werewolf, hated, a taboo, and worse than that, they would whisper, wasn't he friends with that Sirius boy? The one who betrayed the Potters?

Eleven painful years passed like this, and on the summer leading up to the anniversary of the betrayal, his mother died.

He hadn't thought that more pain could come into his life, but of course it could. Even as the tears fell down his cheeks, though, calmness came over him. Finally, there was no one left in the world that cared for him. He could exit this life without guilt, for who in the wizarding world was left who would care for a werewolf who had killed himself? True, Harry Potter still existed out there, the son of his best friends, but Harry did not remember Remus. And there were others out there who would tell Harry of his parents. For once, Remus felt, he could be selfish. Remus was not needed any longer.

After the quiet funeral, Remus was in his mother's house, soaking up the sad, bare rooms for the last time. He sat at the table and for a moment was overcome with fresh loss and pain as he gazed at the soft yellow floral table cloth, which was saturated with memories. He felt so tired, so very empty. His eye fell upon a knife on the table, a sharp one, and he eyed it greedily for a moment. He only had to reach over –

A tap came on the window, and he snatched his hand away guiltily. Again came the loud, annoyed tap, and he looked up to see an owl clutching a copy of The Daily Prophet in its beak. It took Remus a moment to remember that his mother, despite not being a witch, had always liked reading both the muggle newspaper and the wizarding one, and that her subscription had not yet been canceled.

Getting up mechanically, he opened the door to let the owl in. The owl flew through the window haughtily, landing on the counter and ruffling its wings with disdain, displeased at the wait. It let out a shrill shreak, and Remus hurriedly found 7 knuts to give it, despite knowing that he couldn't afford it.

Once it had received the money the owl dropped the paper and flew out though the window, which Remus didn't bother to close. His eyes had frozen on the large photo of the face that took up the front page of the newspaper, and on the big, black caption that read:

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Remus's eyes remained stuck on the photograph for a moment, so familiar yet so different looking, and then he hurriedly began to read the article beneath it, softly murmuring the words out loud.

"Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. 'We are doing all we can to recapture Black,' said the Minister of Magic..." he trailed off, and for the first time in longer than he could remember he was thinking clearly. His mind, usually so sluggish with the haze of pain, abruptly sharpened. Blood flowed through his veins, singing of anger, confusion, and hope – although he angrily pushed away that last thought. What was Sirius doing, he wondered. And how the hell had he managed to escape?

Remus examined the picture again, his heart aching at the once-familiar sight. Sirius looked awful, thin and ragged. But there were still traces of the old Sirius, the haughty and handsome man that Remus had once known.

Or the man he thought he'd known, at least.

For the second time of the day he was startled by a loud knocking noise, this time from the door. For a wild moment Remus thought that it was Sirius, but when he opened the door with shaking hands he saw Dumbledore.

Dumbledore. He looked the same as always, infinitely old with a twinkle in his eye. Remus was horribly reminded of the last time he had seen Dumbledore, on that Halloween night, but no – this was different, Dumbledore was smiling and his hair was longer.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Remus feeling bewildered as Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. Then Remus shook his head as though coming up for air and opened the door wider.

"Please, come in, Dumbledore."

"Oh, my dear boy, I do believe you're at the point in your life where you can call me Albus," chortled the old teacher, stepping smartly through the doorway and seating himself at the kitchen table, on an old wicker chair.

Remus found himself smiling for the first time in as long as he could remember at Dumbledore's antics, but he quickly stopped. It was too painful. As he sat down next to Dumbledore, the professor studied him thoughtfully.

"Still, Remus?" he said softly, and Remus just nodded, a small jerk of the head. Dumbledore let out a sigh and looked down at the table, noticing the paper.

"Ah, so you've heard then?" Again Remus nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

A few minutes passed by, Remus silent and Dumbledore humming to himself. Finally Remus spoke up, which caused Dumbledore to beam at him.

"Dumbledor – er, Albus, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to offer you a teaching position, as the Professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts. I believe you are more than capable of handling the position, due to your, ah, shall we say, experience with rowdy students, and your wonderful muggle teaching degree."

Remus was once more struck into silence. Return to Hogwarts? He felt a chill go up his arms at the thought, though of excitement or terror he couldn't tell. Feeling as though he was losing control of the situation – although, on the other hand, for the first time in a very, very long time, he felt gloriously awake and alive – he tried to start with the obvious.

"I'm a werewolf," he said. "No parents would want their children taught by a werewolf."

Dumbledore folded his long fingers together and shook his head. "I don't see why it should be a problem so long as we take the necessary precautions. You attended Hogwarts, after all, with no fuss. I'm sure that Severus can be convinced to brew the Wolfsbane Potion for you each month."

Severus? Was Snape teaching at Hogwarts, then, too? Shock at hearing the name of a long-ago familiar student rendered Remus dumb for a moment. And he had heard of the Wolfsbane Potion, but he had neither talent nor money to be able to brew it each month.

"Albus, I'm not sure if I can go back to Hogwarts," he admitted, skirting around the issue. He very strongly did not wish to bring up the names of his dead and lost friends. Dumbledore looked at him kindly, but his voice held a note of sternness.

"Remus, for far too long you have been living with this shadow. You need to face it, and I believe an excellent place for you to do so will be at Hogwarts. You will be returning not as a student, but as a teacher, ready to nourish and mould young minds – and perhaps your own while you are there." Dumbledore hesitated, and then continued, "Lily and James have been dead for eleven years, almost twelve, Remus. As has Peter. And Sirius is on the loose. I believe that your past is about to catch up with you, and you would be better prepared if you pick the place to let it find you. I also believe that it is time for you to meet Harry Potter."

Needles pricked at his heart when Dumbledore mentioned the names of his lost friends, but instead of encasing him in a tired fog, the pain struck him sharply, making him think still more clearly. He wondered if Dumbledore was seeking to protect him as well, afraid that Sirius might try to finish off the last marauder. Remus found himself wondering the same thing, but couldn't bring himself to believe it. No, he told himself sharply. Sirius wouldn't. Although, there were quite a lot of things that Remus had thought that Sirius wouldn't do that he had done.

And Harry Potter; James and Lily's son..

"He's a wonderful boy," said Dumbledore, as if he could tell what Remus was thinking. "Looks just like James – except for his eyes. Acts like his father, too, although his deepest nature is of Lily."

Tears swam to Remus's eyes, and suddenly he knew that he had been hiding from his troubles, that he had been cowardly for too long. Was he in Gryffindor or not? Hadn't he made a promise to watch over Harry to James and Lily? Sirius hadn't held his promise, but he, Remus, intended to.

And to see the castle again.. to actually associate with the Wizarding World.. despite the pain, the bad memories, a part of him was eager to do so.

Remus looked at Dumbledore, and then nodded. "I accept, then."

At once Dumbledore stood up, beaming, and patted Remus on the shoulder. "Oh, excellent, excellent. I had so hoped you would. I shall make the arrangements, then, and owl you the details. Hogwarts starts on September first, as I'm sure you well remember."

Remus just nodded again, and let Dumbledore speak jovially as he showed his old teacher out. Just before he closed the door, though, Dumbledore looked at him with his piercing blue eyes, a look that Remus well remembered from his days as a student.

"I am very happy that you have decided to come back, Remus," said Dumbledore, giving him a nod and a kindly look over the edge of his glasses. And then the door was shut, Dumbledore was off, and Remus found himself going back to Hogwarts.

September first found Remus excited and nervous, with his heart acting up a little. He had to laugh at himself because he felt just like a school boy again – and then he found that he was surprised at his fierce happiness at going back to Hogwarts. He hadn't thought he could be happy again, and even now, he often lapsed back into his depression.

But surely part of his happiness wasn't because of Sirius escaping, he told himself – no, he wouldn't let himself be happy about that, just confused.

He woke up early that morning, still in his mother's house, and for the first time wondered what he was supposed to do. Not about teaching – no, he had already planned out many wonderful curriculums and lessons, he was actually quite excited about that – but about getting to Hogwarts. He had never known as a student how teachers got to Hogwarts, and he wasn't even sure where Hogwarts was. (apparating to Hogsmade didn't occur to him, in his excitement). Dumbledore hadn't mentioned it in the letters that he had sent him, and Remus was baffled.

As he got dressed in his shabby wizard's robes, Remus decided he would just have to go via the Hogwarts Express. Perhaps when he got there he would find a teacher's compartment, or something. He glanced at the mirror hanging in his room, a little doubtfully, as it had been a while since he had last cared about his appearance, and saw with a sigh how many strands of grey his hair was flecked with. He had turned old somehow without realizing it, despite the fact that he was barely in his thirties. He was also very pale and tired-looking, but then, he had always looked that way.

Breakfast was a hurried affair, and it was only 9 o'clock when he was ready to go, trunk in hand. The train didn't leave until eleven, but he figured it couldn't hurt to get there early. Perhaps he could avoid a crowd.

He apparated to King's Cross station, and hurried to platform nine and three quarters, ignoring the funny looks that he was given because of his robes. He had a plethora of muggle clothes, being the son of a muggle and having lived as a muggle teacher for so long, but he found that he missed wearing his muggle robes and had used the excuse to put them on right away.

Remus passed through the barrier, reveling in the familiar motion. And then he was back, forcefully reminded of all of the things that he had missed most about the wizarding world. As he had expected, there were very few other people around, mostly wizards running around checking various parts of the train or a few young-looking first years with their parents. A rush of emotion washed over Remus, and he didn't know if he should smile or cry.

Pushing down his sentiments, he drank in the sight of the red engine and hurried up and down its length. But he found no sight of other teachers or special compartments, as he had been afraid of. As a prefect, after all, he had explored the length of the train and had never seen signs of any teachers.

Resigning himself to being the outcast once more, he walked to the very end of the train and found a compartment. He then sat down next to the window and set his trunk up above him on the rack. Remus didn't have many possessions, but those that were important to him he had bundled up into an old trunk, which was tied together with string (seeing as the clasp no longer properly worked).

For a while, Remus allowed his mind to wander as he watched the station outside slowly fill up with students. Unsurprisingly, his mind lingered on his days at Hogwarts, and at first he couldn't help but cry, a little – even after eleven, no, almost twelve years now, the pain still felt fresh and raw. But then the pain softened a little, and he could remember all of his memories with a faint smile. Eventually he fell asleep, exhausted from all of the memories and emotions coursing through him, as well as the lack of a good night's sleep from the last few weeks – or years, really.

Remus stayed fast asleep as the train filled up and as three third-years clambered into his compartment. He was still sleeping as the train started off with a whistle and began to wheeze away from all the smiling mothers and fathers. He half-woke with a start, though, when he heard a familiar name, one that pulled the strings of his heart. A feminine voice was saying worryingly, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry.. you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry – "

Before Remus could consider this startling dialogue, he heard someone else speak, and his eyes almost flew open at the voice. It sounded just like a young James.

"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."

"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" a third voice said, and after a lengthy pause continued, "No one knows how he got out of Azkaban. No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."

The first witch spoke again. "But they'll catch him, won't they? I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too.."

A faint whistle began, cutting her off, and as the three students began to discuss the Sneakoscope that had gone off, Remus stopped listening to think about what he had just heard.

The boy who had sounded like James must have been Harry, Remus thought, excitement coursing though his veins. He wanted to look at Harry, to introduce himself, but he also didn't want to freak him out. No, now wasn't the moment to introduce himself, there'd be plenty of time later. But his excitement died down as he thought about what they had been discussing. Sirius was after Harry Potter? That's why he had escaped?

Remus supposed it made sense, from an outsider's perspective. The resentful servant of the dark lord, determined to finish off his master's killer. Just thinking about Sirius like that made Remus's blood run cold, though. Despite everything that Sirius had done, he couldn't see Sirius killing Harry – not his godson, his best friend's son. But then again, after everything that Sirius had already done, would it be surprising? Remus let out a soft sigh, and then his mind began to once more think over all of the things that had happened that night. There was a part of him that refused to believe, even after all this time, that Sirius had done the awful things that he had been accused of. He knew Sirius – or at least, he had thought he did. He fell asleep trying again and again to think of a way that Sirius was innocent.

Remus woke for the second time when the train had stopped. He opened his eyes and saw, to his confusion, that all of the lights on the train were out. It was dark and rainy outside, so the train was in near complete darkness. He didn't think they were already at Hogwarts, so what had stopped the train? It was suddenly freezing, though, and dark thoughts were crowding into his mind, thoughts of Sirius and James, and Lily and Peter – he left you, everything he ever said was a lie, how could he love someone like you? You're alone, they're all dead, and no one cares about you –

Ah, so it was dementors. Remus wondered sadly if they were looking for Sirius.

All around him the students in his compartment – and there seemed to be more than the three he had heard before – were talking, loudly and fearfully. Remus decided to interfere.

"Quiet!" he said, his voice coming out more hoarsely and less teacherly than he had hoped.

The students fell silent, and Remus rummaged in his pocket for his wand. He found it and said a spell softly under his breath, creating a handful of flames. Ah, there was Harry – he looked so much like his father it hurt, Dumbledore had been right except for those eyes. There were also two redheaded students in the compartment, as well as another boy and a girl.

"Stay where you are," commanded, getting to his feet. Before he could open the door, though, it slid open by itself, and a great hooded dementor glided forward. It drew a deep, rattling breath, and it suddenly got much colder in the small compartment.

The students seemed to grow smaller, and one of them slid to the floor. Remus stepped forward, holding up his wand threateningly. He didn't think he could make a patronus, not when there had been so little happiness in his life. Well, perhaps he could just force it to leave – "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." It was hard to say Sirius's name, but Remus managed to choke it out.

He said it as threateningly as he could, but the dementor just came closer. Remus heard a muted moan from one of the students, and he realized he would have to do something. Summoning up the happiest thought he could think of – that he was returning to Hogwarts – he raised his wand and muttered, "Expecto Patronum!"

A very weak patronus shot out of his wand, but it was enough to chase off the dementor. Before the patronus vanished, Remus realized that it was a dog, a very large bear-sized dog, and his heart throbbed very agonizingly. It had been a very, very long time since he had last cast that particular spell, and he hadn't realized that his patronus had changed.

He turned around and sat back down near the window, and to his relief the train began to move again. The lights flickered back on, and warm air gushed back through the compartment. He looked at the students, expecting to have to introduce himself, but instead noticed with alarm that they were all staring at Harry, who had fallen to the floor. His two friends – a redhead, and a girl with bushy hair – were kneeling next to him, and one was trying to shake him awake. After a few moments Harry opened his eyes, saying confusedly, "W – what?"

Everyone looked relieved as Harry's friends helped him into his seat. Remus looked away for a moment, searching his pockets for chocolate. He had a massive sweet tooth and usually brought chocolate with him.. now if he could only find it..

"Are you okay?" said the redheaded boy, and Remus recognized the voice he'd heard earlier.

"Yeah," said Harry. "What happened? Where's that – that thing? Who screamed?"

Screamed? Remus looked up at Harry. Perhaps the dementor had affected Harry worse than any of the others; after all, Harry had horrible things in his past that were best to be left forgotten.

"No one screamed," answered his friend.

"But I heard screaming – " Harry insisted.

Aha. There it was. Remus located the chocolate in his pocket and pulled it out, quickly unwrapping it and snapping off a few pieces with a loud crack.

All of the students jumped at the noise and looked over at him. Remus looked back unflinchingly and handed Harry a large piece of the chocolate. "Here," he said simply, forgoing introduction for the moment. "Eat it. It'll help."

Harry ignored this, and once more Remus was reminded of James. "What was that thing?" he asked instead.

"A dementor," replied Remus, busy handing out chocolate to the other students, who accepted their pieces quietly. "One of the dementors of Azkaban."

Still all of the students were staring at him, but then, he was used to being stared at. "Eat. It'll help," he repeated firmly to all of them. Then he stood up. "I need to speak to the driver, excuse me.."

And with that, he strolled into the corridor. Everywhere he looked he saw pale, frightened faces, and he frowned. He had never liked dementors, and he liked them even less now that they were frightening the students. Remus hurried to the very front of the train, where a steaming and hissing room contained the conductor. Remus politely walked into the room and spoke with the driver, who looked a little surprised to see a teacher on the train, but nonetheless let him know briskly that they had been stopped by the dementors but had chased them off, and that they would be at Hogwarts in ten minutes.

Remus thanked the man and walked back to the compartment, walking slowly and collecting his thoughts. When he reached the compartment, he looked around and smiled faintly. None of them had eaten their chocolate, but that wasn't terribly surprising.

"I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know.."

To his relief most of them looked down at the chocolate pieces they were grasping in surprise, and then began to eat, regaining warmth in their faces.

Remus spoke again after most of them had finished their chocolate. "We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes. Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry just nodded, embarrassed, and muttered "Fine."

Satisfied, Remus sat back down. Everyone was quiet during the remainder of the ride, although whether that was because of him or not, Remus didn't know. At last they arrived at Hogwarts, and in the crowded bustle and excitement Remus slipped away, not eager to get caught up in the crowd just yet. He snagged one of the first empty carriages that he found, hurrying into it out of the icy rain that was coming down in sheets. A few students passed by his carriage, but upon finding that a teacher was inside it they quickly hurried away. Remus couldn't help but chuckle to himself, feeling sure that he was going about getting to Hogwarts the wrong way and not caring at all. As a marauder, he and his friends would have hooted with laughter at the thought of a teacher who had to get to Hogwarts like the students.

After a short, bumpy coach ride, the thestrals slid the carriage to a stop, and Remus got out, reluctantly allowing the rain to soak him once more. The hair immediately slicked down his hair, and Remus was reminded of another rainy day at Hogwarts..

But before he could allow himself to reminisce further, a loud, sneering voice interrupted his thoughts.

"..you faint as well, Weasley? Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"

He looked around, and sure enough he found Harry and his two friends again. They did seem to be around trouble a lot, which surely would have made James proud. A cocky blonde third-year was the one harrowing them, and Remus noticed with distaste that he had the distinct look of a Malfoy.

He decided to break up the fight before it happened, so he interjected mildly, "Is there a problem?"

The blonde boy turned his insolent look upon Remus, no doubt judging him by his dilapidated appearance. "Oh, no – er – Professor," he smirked sarcastically, before turning to trudge up to the castle with his friends.

Harry and his friends disappeared just as quickly into the crowd, and Remus followed their lead.

For the first time in longer than ten years, Remus found himself at Hogwarts again. Home, his heart murmured, thumping happily against his chest. And truly, he was home again. Hogwarts, more than the house he had grown up in or the flat that he and Sirius had shared, was his home. He may not have been returning student, but he was back nonetheless. With each new sight – the flaming torches, the marble staircase, the mammoth architecture – his heart swelled, and he felt as overwhelmed as a first year. For the first time, he began to think that surely he had made the right decision in coming back.

He followed the chattering crowd into the Great Hall, looking up at the ceiling by habit. It was dark and filled with storm clouds, each of which were leaking raindrops that disappeared right before falling to the tops of the students' heads. His feet automatically took him to the Gryffindor table, but it wasn't until a few of the students stared at him curiously that he remembered that he was a teacher. He hurried quickly to the staff table, feeling very odd. He had never thought that he would be one of the people sitting up here, open to all of the student's scrutiny.

Before he had time to worry about where he was supposed to sit, he was greeted by an enthusiastic Dumbledore.

"Welcome, Remus! I'm glad to see you managed to make a safe journey here," the headmaster spoke, beaming. Was Remus just imagining the glitter of amusement in Dumbledore's eye?

Dumbledore helped him to his seat, speaking grandly about unimportant things, and then hurried back to his own seat, smiling pleasantly at all of the other teachers. As Remus settled into his chair, he noticed that some of the teachers were stealing looks at him, which he supposed was only natural. He, too, would be curious about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, especially if the rumor was true and that no teacher had been able to keep the position for more than a year. He was sure that some of the teacher recognized him, too, from when he was a student. He had been an excellent student, keen on learning, and he received a few hearty hello's and welcome backs from some of the teachers, most memorably from Flitwick, Sprout, and Vector. As he looked around the room, he wondered where McGonagall was. Instead of seeing her, though, his eyes alighted on Snape's, and they shared a look. Remus was startled by how much hatred was in his old classmate's eyes, and he quickly turned his head away, disconcerted. His gaze chanced upon Hagrid. Surprised at finding his old friend a teacher, he leaned over to speak with him. Hagrid was beside himself upon seeing Remus, and the spoke for awhile, recalling old memories, although they both avoided the touchy subject of Sirius.

Finally Dumbledore stood up, and the chatter ceased. "Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast.."

Remus only half-listened as Dumbledore spoke about the dementors; he had been informed about them previously, and instead dwelled on past welcome speeches that he had heard as a student in Hogwarts. He listened more closely, though, as Dumbledore introduced him.

"..on a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teacher to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

This introduction garnered a smattering of unenthusiastic applause, which didn't surprise Remus. He wouldn't have clapped very hard for an unknown new teacher, especially one as shabby-looking as he.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued once the applause had died away, "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

This announcement got far more applause than the previous one, and Remus joined in loudly. After a minute or so, Dumbledore began speaking again, for the last time. "Well, I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

Delicious foods of all kinds appeared on the golden plates around the tables, and the conversation surged loudly again. For a moment, as Remus helped himself generously to large piles of the steaming food (the first real meal he'd had in a while) he was overcome with nostalgia, and wished he could be sharing this meal with his old friends at the Gryffindor table. But he quickly stopped his foolishness and turned around him, striking up conversations with the teachers around him. He also had a memorable conversation with Nearly Headless Nick, who was excited to see an old Gryffindor student as a teacher.

Before he knew it, the feast was over and everything had faded from the goblets and plates. Full, sleepy students began to sidle out of their seats and stumbled into the hallways. The teachers, too, began to disband, and as Remus said his goodnights he found himself wondering where he was supposed to go. A ridiculous image struck him of all of the teachers sharing a dormitory, and of McGonagall asking him for a nightcap. He quickly remembered, though, that all of the teachers got their own rooms inside of their classrooms. He made his way through the familiar hallways and at long last entered the old Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. After looking at everything appraisingly, he entered what was to be his room. It was small and a little lonely looking, and Remus desperately wished for the old Gryffindor dormitory. He pushed the thought away, though, and looked around. His trunk had been left neatly next to the bed, but Remus would unpack tomorrow. He simply fished through his things to find his pajamas and went into the bathroom (one of the nicer things about having his own room) to change.

Soon he was fast asleep, with a smile on his face that weakly echoed the ones of his teenage years.