Disclaimer: I neither own the intellectual property of the Harry Potter universe, nor do profit from this work produced here.
Warnings: none, except Tonks and Remus being husband-wife cute.
The leaves of the Scottish highland forests were just beginning to change when Remus, Dora and Teddy arrived, two days before the start of fall term.
Dora took a big breath of the early fall air and sighed. "Ahh, I love Scotland," she said happily, balancing a sleeping Teddy in her arms. "No better place."
"Not even London?" Remus teased.
She made a face. "London is an exception. You can't not love London." It was true; he knew how much his wife loved the rush of the city, the pulsing of the muggle cars in the blacktop beneath her feet, the way the lights at night looked from atop a broom. As for himself, London was not at all his taste. Too loud. Too rude. Too fast. No, Scotland was where his heart lay- in that castle, most precisely, tucked between two pine-bristled mountains with mist rising off the loch in the early morning. Quiet, peaceful perfection.
"C'mon, let's go show Teddy his new home," Dora said with a smile, and together they set off down the road that led from the castle to Hogsmead, pulling their trunks behind them.
The walk was a short one, and after five minutes or so, they rounded a bend and the castle came into view. Remus felt his breath catch in his throat for a minute; yes, this was Hogwarts, stalwart, strong, and fair in the bright afternoon sunlight. A little beat up, perhaps, but the castle had stood for centuries and would continue to stand for centuries more, bearing the brunt of irresponsible students and bitter wars alike.
McGonagall was present to greet them at the great oak door. "You're late," she informed them, tsking her tongue. "I hope you won't be making a habit of this, Professor Lupin."
Despite the change in title, Remus still felt like a schoolboy being reproved by his Transfiguration teacher. "No, Headmistress."
McGonagall's eyes seemed to crinkle at that, as if she were just barely restraining a warm smile. "Alright, well, let's get you settled in. The rest of the faculty is already here; we'll be discussing the upcoming year at the staff meeting tonight." Lupin's eyes went wide- he hadn't heard there was going to be a meeting- and she snorted. "Don't look so nervous, Remus; we're just introducing the new staff, not planning your immanent demise." Tonks snorted beside him, and he scowled at his wife as McGonagall turned to lead them inside. "Right this way."
The castle was almost precisely as he remembered it. There were, here and there, a few missing paintings- how well did he know them, passing them by daily for seven years and then an eighth after that?- and sections of stone or wall that were clearly new. Minerva saw him looking and said, "She's strong. She'll bear up."
"She?" Remus murmured.
"The school. There's a reason the founders chose a castle, you know. She was built for this sort of trouble. Up this way, if you please."
They trod the well-worn stone stairs up to the teachers' quarters, and then took a sharp turn to the left. Remus started; he had been unconsciously expecting- ridiculously, now that he thought about it- to turn right, down which way had been situated his old apartment, five years previous. Instead, Minerva led them to a much shorter hall, stopping in front of a heavy oak door.
"It's not often we employ family men, and most who do usually take up residence in the village; nevertheless, I think this should be adequate for the two of you and the little one." She reached into the inner pockets of her emerald-green robes and retrieved a heavy, pewter skeleton key. Remus liked it immediately. "Turn it three times and say the password; currently it's fiddlestick flounces, but you can change it to whenever you please."
"Fiddlestick flounces," Remus repeated dubiously, taking the key.
"Don't ask me; it was Flitwick's last and he liked the way it sounded. Well, I'll leave you to settle in then," she said frankly, "and I expect to see you at the meeting. Seven sharp, Remus- oh, and you're invited too, Tonks- er- Dora."
"Me? Why me?" the auror questioned, surprised.
"It's a bit of a function, really- work first, then pleasure." She pointed at him. "Seven sharp."
"Seven sharp," he repeated. She gave him a rare smile, nodded kindly to Dora and Teddy, and then swept off down the hall.
"Being a headmistress suits her, don't you think?" Dora said conversationally. "Well come on then, open it up!"
He unlocked the door and pushed the heavy oak open. The moment he did, he let out a surprised gasp, and Dora behind him murmured, "Ahhh!"
The apartment was, in a word, lovely. All gray stone, from ceiling to floor, it was nevertheless incredibly homey. Sunlight streamed in from the south-facing windows, which looked out onto the grounds and lit up the living/dining room with a sunny cheer. Three doors lined the western wall, and two more on the north, one which was open and which they could see led to a small kitchen. Between two of the three doors was a fireplace, before which stood an old, homey couch, a rocking chair, and a coiled hearthrug. On either side of the front door stood large oak bookshelves, which matched the table, and on the later sat a glass vase of fresh-cut lilacs.
"Oh, Remus," Dora exclaimed, "It's lovely!" Teddy cooed in her arms. "I wonder what the doors are?" She hurried over and began trying them. "Let's see- that's the loo… ah, that must be a bedroom, perfect size for the nursery… and… oh!"
Remus (who had gone to inspect the room adjacent to the kitchen and had found it to be a well-stocked study, complete with two writing desks), crossed over to the door nearest the southern wall, where Dora was standing in the entryway, looking inside with tears glittering in her eyes. Her husband came up beside her and soon realized what had made his new bride so emotional.
The master bedroom was as quaintly perfect as the rest of the apartment. The other half of the fireplace (it had two hearths, one in the living room and one on the opposite side in the bedroom) stood before a hard-oak bed frame with dark, polished knobs, a thick mattress, and a cream-and-white bedspread, embroidered in a meandering floral pattern with tiny red buds stitched into the comforter. The cream-colored curtains had been tied aside to let the sunlight stream in and fill the room, brightening the aura created by the matching dark-oak bookshelves and side tables. Another rocking chair of the same material sat just beside the windows- perfect, Remus noticed, for rocking a small child in the wee hours of the morning. He felt a lump rise in his own throat; he and Dora had never dreamed they'd be able to afford anything quite so charming as this. "Dora, it's beautiful," he said quietly.
"Oh, Remus," she whispered tearfully, turning to bury her face in his chest. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her and Teddy. "I'm so glad. So glad…" She sniffled and pulled back to look at him. "I mean, I would've been happy anywhere with you, but… this is what you deserve, after everything you've been through, everything you've sacrificed for the rest of us. And I'm so happy that I get to be here to see you enjoy it. I'm happy our son will grow up here, in this castle…"
"And I'm happy," he murmured softly, kissing her forehead, "That I get to share it all with you."
Remus fidgeted slightly in his seat as the other professors filed into the room; the meeting/staff party had been called in one of the larger classrooms, and he was doing his best to remind himself that he belonged here, that he wasn't out of place, that he had earned this position, after all, and by golly he was going to act like it.
He snorted lightly at his own silly attempt at bravado and wished that Dora was with him; she'd opted to stay in the apartment until after the meeting was over (which McGonagall had predicted would only last half an hour), not wanting a fussing infant to disrupt their work, and then come to the party afterwards. As he mused over the peculiarities of having a child, he glanced around the room. There were many familiar faces; Hagrid caught his eye and gave him a little (or massive, depending on how one looked at it) wave with his hand, dark eyes crinkling as he smiled. Professors Flitwick and Sprout greeted him personally as they walked in; Trelawney patted his hand in her sympathetic way that always made him feel as if she thought he were about to die; and from across the room, Firenze gave him a solemn nod. Although Remus put very little stock in any form of divination, he had a deep respect for the centaur, who understood, like himself, the trials of trying to reconcile the worlds of wizardry and pack (or herd, as it were) into some sort of harmony. Others he recognized and greeted with a polite nod of his own, and still others were entirely foreign to him.
Of these last, he amused himself for a few minutes by trying to discern which jobs they taught. There was a young blonde witch who wore winged glasses and had tied her hair back in a bun, and had an intelligent demeanor about her; then a graying wizard with a distinguished mustache, who appeared very academic in his professional dress robes; and the last, a wizened old witch who used a cane.
"Good evening, everyone," a voice called, and everyone turned to see Professor McGonagall enter the room, a few folders and a book held in hand. Everyone quickly took their seats as the headmistress crossed to the front of the classroom and set her materials down on the teaching podium. "Welcome," she said brusquely, "and to those of who you are returning staff, welcome back. I trust everyone had a pleasant summer?" There was a general murmur of assent. "Very good, very good. As you are well aware, fall term begins in two days, on the first of September; all of your ordered materials have arrived, and are set up in your respective classrooms.
"Undoubtedly you are wondering why I have arranged for this meeting; frankly, I think a collective gathering before the start of term is helpful for all of us in the case that we may have any concerns about the upcoming year. Moreover, considering that we have acquired or reinstated several new and former employees, I thought it would do finely for us all to get acquainted. I'll start with the new introductions; Professor Mathilde Kemp, my replacement in Transfiguration;-" The blonde witch rose and inclined her head, and then sat again. "-Professor Edith Oakley, who will be teaching Ancient Runes due to the retirement of our own Professor Babbling;-" The old witch nodded politely, "-And Professor Jacob Niles, who has accepted both the Arithmancy and Muggle Studies positions, which were once held by our dear Septima Vector and Charity Burbage, may they rest in peace."
The mustached wizard inclined his head respectfully, and several of the staff murmured their agreement to this; Professor Vector had died valiantly fighting off three death eaters during the battle, and Charity Burbage at the hands of Tom Riddle himself.
"Returning to our staff this year are Professor Rubeus Hagrid, Care of Magical Creatures-"
"'Lo," Hagrid said cheerfully, waving again.
"-Professor Firenze, who has graciously agreed to take over the Astronomy position, due to Professor Sinastra's retirement-" Firenze nodded politely. "And Professor Remus Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Lupin smiled. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"For our new staff, from my left we have Professor Sprout, Herbology; Professor Flitwick, Charms; Professor Binns, History of Magic; Professor Slughorn, Potions…" And so on. When she was finished, McGonagall concluded, "Again, Hogwarts welcomes you all, and I'm certain that this will be a fruitful school year."
"Far more fruitful than the last," Sprout muttered under her breath, and there was a general chuckle. Minerva bit her lip as if repressing a smile.
"Thank you, Pomona; that actually brings me to our next item on the agenda. As many of you are well aware, the last year was supremely detrimental to all of our students, not to mention our status as a school. However, I think you all deserve a proper explanation of why: mainly, the purpose behind some of Headmaster Snape's decisions here at the school." Several faces grew dark at this; someone made a sound as if spitting on the hardwood. Minerva held up her hand. "Believe me, I understand the sentiments in this room about Severus are far from friendly, but he has done a far greater service to our school and the wizarding world than you know."
To the incredulous expressions, she quickly recounted the story that Lupin had already heard from Harry several months previous; when she was finished, several people still looked disgruntled, but more than a few appeared grudgingly impressed, and one or two were in tears. Madame Pomfrey was dabbing at her eyes with a hanky. "In short, his protection and care of our students, while still appearing to maintain loyalty to Tom Riddle, was nothing short of brilliant and, in my opinion, one of the most courageous acts of selflessness this school has ever seen. I can only hope to fill this position as well as he did."
She paused here, and then said, with great care in her choice of words, "It is not lost on me that many of you are still suffering deeply from the effects of the battle. We have all lost some very dear friends; Charity and Septima were among some of the most admirable teachers this school has ever had the privilege to employ. Moreover, too many of our students- who you and I have watched grow from children into brave, selfless adults- gave their lives for their friends and for the greater good of our people. It is in their honor, and in the honor of all those who died at the hands of Tom Riddle and his followers, that I want us all to work to return this school to its former dignity, which was lost under the Carrows. For this reason, any instances or allegations of involvement of dark matters, made against students or staff, are to be treated very seriously. Naturally anyone called under such suspicion shall be treated as innocent until proven guilty, but make no mistake: the truth in such cases will be sought until it is found." Her gaze was so sharp that even Remus felt a chill of trepidation run down his back. Merlin forbid he should ever be so unfortunate as to experience the full force of Minerva McGonagall's fierce protection of her students and her school.
"On a lighter note," she continued, now in less frightening tones, "there are two final matters on the agenda for tonight: first, I would like to remind you that all students are now required to take both Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic up to and through seventh year; second, I would like to announce the promotion of Professor Lupin as my successor of Head of Gryffindor House, and congratulate him as such." The rest of the staff broke into applause; startled, Lupin stood and clasped his hands, looking to the Headmistress with confusion. She merely joined the applause, eyes crinkling as she smiled.
When the clapping had ceased, McGonagall said, "And with that, I move the meeting be adjourned; all in favor, say Aye."
"Aye," the other professors chorused, and everyone stood. With a wave of her wand, the new Headmistress caused several platters of food and a punch bowl full of spiced wine to appear on the table behind her, and everyone moved towards the food excitedly. Remus heard the clock chiming half-past outside, and knew that Dora would be on her way.
As McGonagall passed him by, he reached out and caught her shoulder. "Professor, a word?"
She raised an eyebrow but followed him over to the corner. "I suppose you're wondering about your new promotion?" she asserted tartly.
"Actually, I am; why would you appoint me to Head? I've only taught for a year," he inquired, baffled. "Wouldn't Hagrid be the more appropriate choice? He's certainly been here longer."
"And moreover, you're wondering why you are only finding out about this now?" Minerva said shrewdly. He nodded, and she replied, "Unfortunately, due to the reconstruction efforts, my schedule got pushed very late over the summer; as such, the matter of appointing a new head of house had to be put to the last minute. I did offer the position to Hagrid last week, but he turned me down."
"Did he? Why?"
"Part of the duty of Head of House is to counsel the fifth and seventh years in career decisions; he felt he was not the best man for the task and graciously requested I offer it to you. I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to inform you beforehand, but I figured you wouldn't cause a scene."
Lupin chuckled, now a little more at ease with the decision. "Alright, professor, if you insist…"
"I do insist," she said firmly, and then in a more gentle tone: "You're going to do fine, Remus. Believe it or not, you're actually quite a good teacher."
I'm not so sure about that. Remus "mm"ed noncommittally and hoped she was right.
"Wotcher, love."
He turned to see Dora grinning at him widely, an awake-and-happy Teddy balanced on her hip. "Hey," he said happily, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "How's he doing?"
"Fine; he was a little fussy when I woke him, but he seems to be perfectly content now."
"Oh my," Minerva said happily, "Oh Nymphadora, he's beautiful. May I…?"
"Sure." The mother passed her child into the arms of the older matron, who looked as if someone had told her she was getting a paid sabbatical.
"Oh, what a handsome boy!" She tickled his foot. "And he's gotten so big, goodness, Dora, he's moving right along!" As if to prove her point, Teddy's hair turned the same green as the professor's robes, and he reached up, grabbing with surprising strength at her right sleeve. "Ahh, aren't you smart! Aunt Minnie could just eat you right up, indeed she could!"
Remus and Dora grinned at each other with barely suppressed chuckles; 'Aunt Minnie' poked Teddy's nose and kissed his head, grinning more widely than they'd ever seen her. "He's quite taken with you," Lupin commented.
"Of course he is; I'm quite charming when I want to be, you know." She turned to Dora and said, "Well here, I mustn't be selfish; besides, I think he's a bit hungry." Even as she spoke, Teddy began to fuss. Dora accepted him back, and Remus could have sworn there was a twinkle of a tear in Minerva's smiling eyes.
They milled about through the rest of the party-goers, introducing themselves to the new teachers. Professor Kemp was very cordial, and sharp as a whip. She mentioned having been Head Girl as a Ravenclaw a little more than a decade previous; Remus thought privately that McGonagall had likely hand-chosen her for the position from among her former students. Professors Oakley and Niles greeted him politely and congratulated him on his promotion to head of house. About halfway through, Remus pulled Professor Slughorn aside and explained that he would need an extra dose of Wolfsbane per month for Teddy. Slughorn seemed to puff up with pride.
"But of course, but of course! Leave to me, Remus; your son will be getting only the best! Fortunate for you to be employed under the same roof as me, eh?" Remus agreed and tried to repress his annoyance with the man's ever-burgeoning self-importance.
Before they knew it, the clock was striking eleven; Teddy had fallen asleep in Dora's arms two hours ago without them evening realizing. "Merlin, we'd better get him back to the apartment," Dora said guiltily. "How did we not realize how late it was?"
"We're new at this; we'll get the hang of it," he reassured her. "Besides, he seems to be sleeping alright now, so no harm done. But you're right, we should be going."
They made their apologies and headed out the door. As they crossed the threshold, McGonagall reached out and caught Remus by the arm. "Professor Lupin, a word with you?"
Dora glanced back; he gave her the nod to go ahead without him. As she took off down the hall, McGonagall pulled him aside to an abandoned corner of the hallway.
"Professor? What seems to be the matter?"
"Remus, I need to speak with you about one of your students," she said grimly, and by her use of his first name, he knew it was serious .
"One of my students?"
"A Miss Lavender Brown."
"Brown- Br- ah!" He remembered, suddenly, a young girl with bouncing golden curls and a tendency to flirt as best a thirteen-year-old can with all the other young men in her year. Another memory burst into color in his mind: a distraught Parvati Patil weeping into Ginny Weasely's arms, and the name "Greyback" upon her lips. "She- she was the one Greyback murdered… wasn't she?"
"Not murdered. Attacked," McGonagall sighed, her relief tinged with sadness. "She survived. Barely. We all thought she was dead; if Miss Lovegood hadn't realized she was still breathing, we would never have gotten her to St. Mungo's in time."
"Why didn't you tell me of this sooner?"
"I didn't think she'd be well enough to return to school until at least spring term, but the healers at St. Mungo's have worked miracles on her case. She'll be reporting in a few weeks."
"And you're worried she'll be frightened around me," he inferred. "Professor, I completely understand-"
"Remus," Minvera broke in quickly. "That's… that's not all."
He frowned, confused.
"…Miss Brown… she's been infected with lycanthropy. The dangerous strain, that is, not the way Bill Weasely was…" McGonagall sighed, closed her eyes. "Remus, she's been turned."
It was as if he'd fallen and had the wind knocked out of him. Remus stared, gaping.
"I know, I know how difficult this must be for you, but Remus, she needs help-"
"But- that's impossible- Greyback, he wasn't-" his mind was reeling; the battle hadn't been during the full moon…
"Wasn't transformed, no. St. Mungo's can't understand it; they've been running tests all summer. The most they can conclude is that, seeing as Greyback's turned full, he can pass on the disease at any time. I'm sorry to say that Miss Brown is indeed a full-fledged werewolf."
"Oh my word," he whispered. "That poor child…"
"St. Mungo's didn't believe she'd been infected, but naturally they took precautions…"
"And the precautions paid off," Remus answered lowly. McGonagall nodded sadly. "Professor- if there's anything I can do, please, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, Remus," she sighed. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're here. I just… it breaks my heart, that it was her. It shouldn't have to be anyone, but especially not Miss Brown. The poor girl must be terrified..." She bit her lip, and he thought he saw tears brim again in her old eyes. Remus fell silent, uncertain whether he could trust himself to speak through the lump in his throat.
Outside, they heard the clock-tower strike quarter past. "Well, I mustn't keep you," McGonagall sighed. "I'm sure Dora is waiting. Do have a good evening."
"You as well, Professor." He waited until she'd slipped back inside the classroom to rejoin the party, before he in took to walking the corridors alone. The moonlight fell in pale, silvery shafts through the arched windows, and his mind became lost in thought.
"It shouldn't have to be anyone, but especially not Miss Brown," McGonagall's words echoed in his mind. And though it sounded strange to say it, he understood. The giggling, somewhat shallow girl did not seem the sort to be able to bear years of agonizing transformations and the constant possibility of one day doing something genuinely monstrous.
And were you? a voice whispered in the back of his mind.
He considered it. I was quiet. I was studious. I was used to being strange, being alone.
And would you have still been so quiet, so studious- as you put it, so strange and alone- if you hadn't been what you are?
A moment's fleeting thought crossed his mind- an image of a teenage boy playing with a snitch, slacking off his schoolwork, tousling his hair- and it wasn't James Potter, but himself. Incredibly ordinary and a little immature. A boy who didn't spend hours agonizing over his essays in the library because it was easier than forcing conversation with his classmates after almost a decade of solitude. A boy who played Quidditch because the moon-sickness didn't interfere with his practices. A boy who flirted and broke hearts.
A boy who didn't turn into a raging beast every month.
He realized, suddenly, that his feet had stopped walking of their own accord, and looked up to find he had unknowingly arrived at the door to his apartment. He removed the key from his pocket, turned it three times and murmured- what was it?- oh yes, "Fiddlestick flounces," before the lock opened with a click, and he stepped inside.
The room had been cast into warm, flickering shadows in a faint reddish-gold light; it seemed that Dora had lit the fireplace. As he stepped inside, he realized that his wife was actually asleep on the couch, their son resting in her arms. She must have sat down for a moment and fallen asleep, he reasoned, sitting down on the couch beside her with a loving smile.
She looked so perfect, in the wash of the gold firelight, peaceful and content. This was the look he liked best on her- her natural dark hair falling in waves around her face, her almond-shaped eyes and rounded nose, her striking Black features like the delicately sharp angles of a faerie's portrait, far from the thin, stiff beauty of Narcissa Malfoy or- he shuddered- her gaunt-faced aunt Bellatrix. Dora, like her mother Andromeda and her cousin Sirius before her, was proof of all that a member of the Ancient House of Black should and ought to be- the redemption of a long dynasty of darkness, who discarded the harsh pure-blood supremacy and evil means used to achieve it, while retaining all that pride, courage, and self-sacrificing devotion of a soul with a cause. Add to that the warmth and generosity of the line of Edward Tonks, and one could not have asked for a better auror, wife, or mother.
And then Teddy. Perfect, beautiful Teddy. He looked down to his son, who was breathing softly, shallowly, mouth slightly open with his cherubic in-turned infant lips. His hair had returned to brown, lighter than his mother's but darker than his father's, and his nose was round and button-like, somewhat reminiscent of a very small mushroom. Remus smiled again, this time very fondly, and sighed with contentment. His son, his own flesh and blood and bone. Whenever he began to doubt whether he was really just a man with a disease, rather than the shell-like host of some wicked beast, he thought to Teddy. Surely, surely nothing as beautiful and precious as his son, who had inherited the same condition, tragic though that may be, could be evil. No, if Teddy were indeed an innocent child, then he was surely just a man, a man worthy and deserving of what beauty life had chosen to give him.
Realizing he'd been staring for far too long, he chuckled softly to himself and stood. Carefully, he reached down and took Teddy into his arms.
Dora stirred and opened her big, brown eyes. He loved those eyes. "Wha…?" she murmured, confused.
"Shh. It's just me," Remus said softly, "I'm putting Teddy to bed. You just rest."
She sighed and closed her eyes, a small smile curling the corners of her lips. Humming softly, he carried Teddy into the nursery and placed him in the rocking bassinet. "Goodnight, my little pup," he whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Papa loves you very much."
Dora was fast asleep again by the time he returned to the living room. Smiling, he reached down and lifted her up bridal-style, letting her head fall sleepily against his shoulders. With all the tenderness of a loving husband, he carried her to their bedroom, set her down gently on the bed, and pulled the covers over her. Then, not bothering to change, he slipped off his shoes and crawled in beside her. "I love you," Dora murmured in the darkness.
He smiled and touched her face, kissing her gently. "And I love you," he whispered, closing his eyes.
For a brief second, his mind thought back to its preoccupation before he'd unlocked the door: the Quidditch-playing boy who procrastinated on his homework and dated all the prettiest girls in school. The boy who looked like Remus but acted an awful lot like two other Marauders he'd once known.
With a smile, he dismissed the image, a sense of contentment filling his soul. He was who he was; and life had, in the end, turned out alright, turned out for the better. He had a beloved wife and child, a promising career, a home, a family, a future-
And, he decided quietly, a student to counsel in the same direction, and prove that life didn't end with the bite.
With that thought in mind, he reached across the distance and found Dora's hand under the sheets, lacing his fingers through hers. He loved his life. And right in that moment, he couldn't have wished for it to be any other way.
A/N: So, whatja think? Please review (it makes me smile)! :)
Anyways, hope you all have a good week, and I'll see you next Tuesday! Pax et bonum! -FFcrazy15