From the playlist:

Right Before My Eyes - Unpeeled - Cage The Elephant

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Ch. 2 - The Visit

July 26th, 1993

Yorkshire

As the bus sped past, its tires rolled through a large puddle by the curb and sent a gush of rainwater directly onto Remus's trousers. Awoken suddenly by the splash, he quickly realized that he was supposed to be on that damned bus.

He leapt up off the bench and made a valiant effort to flag it down - perhaps the driver would see him and stop; but the rainfall was too thick, and the bus was too far away now.

Retreating back under the eave of the stop, he squinted at the schedule, though its laminate was so scratched up by the house keys of bored adolescents that it was nearly impossible to read. He didn't really need to see it, though. He was completely cognizant that the next bus wouldn't come for another hour, but had hoped that, this time when he looked at the schedule, it might have changed.

He was too exposed here to disapparate. It would be faster to walk than to wait the extra hour, and his stomach was growling. No, he wasn't patient enough to hold out for the next bus, even if it meant keeping dry. "Should've gotten this over with yesterday when I had the chance," he thought grumpily to himself as he ducked out of the overhang.

The rain was relentless, and soaked through every layer of clothing in a matter of minutes. Too many passersby thwarted any plans of an umbrella charm. A muggle-friendly, good old fashioned umbrella had long been on his list of things to purchase, but hardly anything ever made it off that list nowadays. Perhaps if he could go without using the water in his house for a few days here and there, he could save a few pounds by the end of the month and get the umbrella.

"No," he thought, feeling the squish of his wet socks. A new pair of shoes had been toward the top of the list for quite some time, and were a bit more of a priority at the moment. The rain wasn't so cold during the summer anyway, and it would be nice to start the new job with a pair of shoes that had mostly-attached soles.

That was the purpose of his trip today: he'd just seen his manager at the market to put in his week's notice. That morning, he came to the vexing realization that he should have done it during his break yesterday, but the fog that tended to settle over his mind about a week before the full moon caused him to forget. By doing so, he had to go in and quit on his day off - though he supposed it would be better not to miss the extra day of wages. After five months of stocking produce, he was moving on to work for a window washing company. The pay wasn't any better, and he expected the work wouldn't be much less physical, but his manager at Kwik Save was beginning to comment upon his monthly absences (and then would subsequently gripe about the NHS). It was a rare day when Remus could push through the pain that came before and after the transformation now.

The rain started coming down harder, and he swore under his breath, cursing himself for missing the bus again. There had been a time he enjoyed strolling in the rain sans umbrella, but his disdain for it now must have been another sign he was aging. His body felt about ten or fifteen years older than thirty-three.

At last, he reached his house. Of course, 'house' was a generous descriptor for the lopsided cottage, but it was home nonetheless. Once inside, he had to turn back around and fumble with the keys in his daily plight of getting them stuck in the lock.

"Have you forgotten how to use your wand, Remus?"

Startled by the voice of the intruder, Remus quickly abandoned the keys and brandished his wand. He didn't know how to feel when he turned to see that it was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

"Apparently not," Albus quipped, a twinkle glinting in his eye. He held his hands up with a bit of sarcasm.

"How did you find me?" were the first words out of Remus's mouth.

"Lovely to see you as well."

"...Right, sorry," Remus apologized, shaking his head as if overriding a glitch. He hadn't quite left all of the residual paranoia in the past. Finally registering that Professor Dumbledore was not in fact a threat, he stashed his wand. "You just startled me is all." He peeled off his inundated jacket, threw it into a closet next to the front door, and swiped his wet hair back in an attempt to look semi-presentable.

"I'm sorry to have done that; but I must confess, I was afraid if I told you of my visit in advance, you might've tried to avoid me."

He had a point.

Albus had a look around the ramshackle room as he spoke. Buckets were stationed at multiple points to catch ceiling leaks, and the paint on the walls was peeling severely. The dilapidated two-room house had a nearly useless kitchenette and only three pieces of furniture: one folding chair, something that was trying to be a coffee table, and over in the bedroom, a mattress that lay directly on the floor. On occasion, the stacks of books became furniture, too.

Though there was no judgment in Professor Dumbledore's eyes, watching him observe the space instantly doused Remus in shame. He supposed he'd become accustomed to these conditions. Never having hosted a guest before, when he realized there wasn't even a place for them to sit down, his heart sank.

"Can I- can I offer you anything?" Remus stammered. Perhaps he could salvage the meeting with some refreshments. He strode purposefully to the refrigerator, but upon opening it, remembered that its contents were as just barren and unappealing as the rest of the house. His stomach grumbled again.

"Just some water, thank you," answered Albus, helping himself to the singular chair.

Remus swiftly cleaned a glass and filled it with tap water, hoping in vain Dumbledore wouldn't notice.

"Thank you." Dumbledore accepted the glass of water but did not drink from it, and Remus gathered that he'd only asked to make him feel like a decent host.

As he positioned himself across from his former headmaster, Dumbledore eyed him fondly. "It's been a long time, Remus."

"Yes it has," he replied candidly, leaning against the hearth. He couldn't recall the last time he'd even seen Dumbledore. Those first few months after the war sort of blurred together.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've come."

He was thankful that Dumbledore had not asked how he'd been, because Remus would've felt badly having to lie. But Albus never did anything without reason or motive behind it. "This isn't a social call, I take it."

"I'll speak plainly," Dumbledore began, his eyes smiling from behind his half moon glasses. "I've come to offer you a teaching position at Hogwarts; in the Defense Against the Dark Arts department."

From the look on Remus's face, you would have thought Albus had just offered to throw him into a pit of vipers.

"...I'm sorry?" Remus uttered, blinking.

"Oh, forgive me, did I mumble? Minerva tells me I have a tendency to mumble."

"No, I heard you, but…" He started to chuckle nervously. "Professor Dumbledore, I'm…very flattered, but I'm not at all sure why you've come. We both know why I can't accept your offer."

The twinkle in Albus's eye seemed to grow brighter. "Remus, I made it possible for you to come to Hogwarts once. Why do you doubt that I could do it again?"

"Well, I thought-..." Remus cleared his throat. "The er-...I'm sure you heard about the new Legislation."

"Ah. Yes. Has the Ministry become aware of your condition since we last spoke?"

"...Well, no, but-"

"So you have not registered with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"

"I'd sooner eat my own shoes."

"Splendid."

"...It would mean that, since you know, you'd be defying the Wizengamot…" Truthfully, Remus couldn't give two shits about the Wizengamot; but he'd hate to be the reason Dumbledore came under any scrutiny.

Dumbledore shrugged. "I've taken steps to ensure that your condition will remain a secret, and therefore, will not affect your everyday dealings with the students. I see no reason to involve the Ministry whatsoever."

"My condition…" affects every aspect of my life. "...My condition…has matured, Professor. The shack won't suffice anymore."

"Of course it won't. Not without the Wolfsbane potion."

"Precisely." Remus motioned to their surroundings, an indication that purchasing the potion would be well above his income level, even on a Professor's salary. "None of which I have."

"Which is why I've asked our Potions Master to brew it for you each month."

If Remus had looked confused before, it was nothing compared to how he looked upon hearing that. "… Severus Snape agreed to that?"

"Oh yes. It took some persuading, of course; but in the end, yes."

Wolfsbane. The mere mention of the potion seemed to dangle in front of him like a carrot tied to a stick.

But Remus maintained a healthy dose of skepticism - hope had done him no favors. "What happened to Lockhart?"

"Remus, may I ask why you are searching for reasons to decline?"

"Why me ?" Remus questioned, getting down to the root of his concerns. "Why are you asking me?" There had to be other qualified candidates. Other people from the Order days, even. Sturgis, or Elphias, or-... others.

Albus looked at him fondly, remembering the eleven year old boy and the Gobstones. "Because I think what our students need is someone who is both a talented wizard, and a good man. I can say with confidence that you, Remus, are both of those things."

The compliment left Remus speechless. This was high praise coming from Dumbledore, and Remus had always held his opinion above all others.

He would've been lying if he said that the idea of returning to Hogwarts didn't thrill him. Except for a bit of tutoring back in his prefect days, he had no teaching experience whatsoever; then again, he'd always been a quick learner, and he did have a fair amount of experience battling the dark arts first hand. Being responsible for the education of schoolchildren seemed quite intimidating, though. Twelve and thirteen year olds…

His contemplation came to a halt, until one last question came forth.

"...How is Harry faring?" he inquired soberly.

It had been a few years since Hagrid wrote asking for help filling the photo album. Remus sent off his last three pictures of James and Lily, knowing that their images would never leave his mind, and that the boy had not gotten to spend as much time with them as he had. He thought about including a letter with the photos, but had chickened out at the last second.

Dumbledore looked as if he'd been waiting for Remus to ask this all along. "He is very talented, but more importantly, he is very kind. He's made some good friends at Hogwarts, much like you did. Much like James did."

As he listened, Remus absentmindedly ran his thumb along a cracked brick above the hearth. Harry came by that kindness honestly, but definitely from his mother.

"…I'll have to think about this, Dumbledore."

"I'd think you a fool if you didn't. Does three days to mull it over seem reasonable?"

"Erm...yes, I think so."

"Splendid," Albus chirped again, rising from his seat. He left the untouched glass of water on the chair and made his way towards the door. "We shall meet at Hogwarts. Let's say, two o'clock? We'll have tea."

Remus perked up. "At Hogwarts?"

"I'll arrange for you to arrive via the Floo network."

His enthusiasm kept Remus from mentioning that at two o'clock three days from now, he was still supposed to be stocking produce. And getting paid to do so.

…If it means I can see the castle again, it'll be worth it.

"…Brilliant."