Professor Binns finally retired-posthumously, if a ghost could retire. At least, he had. No longer would he be lulling Hogwarts students to sleep in his classes. And since Aurora had recently graduated from the History of Magic program at the Magical University in London, and as the top student in her year, Dumbledore decided to offer her the position of History of Magic teacher. She accepted. Now, she would take over the task left by the previous ghost professor — of course not the task of putting students to sleep during lessons, certainly not. Aurora Moonridge had set herself the goal of making students interested in the subject. Well, good luck with that. Some of them had already established a routine of catching up on sleep during these classes.
At first, Aurora doubted herself, feeling too young, especially surrounded by the older teachers. But then Dumbledore mentioned he had found someone she could easily connect with — another young teacher, who just so happened to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Remus Lupin. A former Marauder. One of the legends of Hogwarts. Even though he graduated a few years before Aurora showed up, people still talked about the pranks the Marauders played on the teachers. And how two of them were murdered and another went to prison. And Remus? Remus was left alone. And now he was supposed to return to the school walls, which only reminded him that he had no one anymore. That he had sunk into the tragedy of his life.
~•~•~
Aurora arrived at Hogwarts on September 1, 1993, just before noon, giving her enough time to unpack in her rooms and prepare for the Welcoming Feast that evening. She hadn't met any of the other teachers yet, as most of them were traveling with the students from London. Aurora felt nervous about the moment when she'd have to sit at the same table with them. She feared there would be awkward silence-something she dreaded. She was terrified they wouldn't find anything to talk about.
As a student, Aurora had never had much trouble communicating with her teachers, but back then they had only talked about her grades. From now on, they were going to be her coworkers. It wasn't the same level of relationship as before. Now they were on the same level, like teacher to teacher. And there was one more thing she was afraid of.
The entire teaching staff had been informed of Lupin's unusual condition: he was a werewolf. Aurora would never have imagined Dumbledore taking such a bold step. After all, a professor couldn't simply vanish unnoticed every month, and the safety of the students was no small matter. It wasn't that Aurora doubted Dumbledore's ability to handle the situation-she knew he had, and that he trusted Lupin. And if Dumbledore trusted him, then she would have to as well.
Aurora felt uneasy as she took her seat at the teachers' table. She exchanged polite greetings with a few of the staff but didn't get the chance to have a proper conversation with anyone. The room buzzed with anticipation as everyone waited for the feast to officially begin.
And then, wanting to take the last free seat, he approached the table.
"Are you new here too?"
The question came from a male voice, its owner standing just beside her. Aurora looked up and turned toward him, offering a shy smile.
"Dumbledore mentioned there would be another new hire besides me."
"Brand new," she replied, extending her hand. "Aurora Moonridge."
He shook it as he took the seat next to her. "Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you."
"The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"That obvious?" he chuckled, running a hand through his hair.
Aurora smiled again. He couldn't have been much older than thirty, but there was a weariness about him. The streaks of grey in his hair and the patchwork state of his well-worn clothes only added to the impression. Yet, his demeanor was warm and inviting.
"Well," she said, "there's a new teacher for that subject every year, and since I don't teach it, you must." She grinned. "Good luck."
"And you?" he asked, curiosity sparking in his tone. "Who did you replace?"
"History of Magic."
His eyes widened. "No way! Binns retired? I thought that was impossible." He laughed lightly. "Well then, good luck to you too. I slept through most of his classes, like everyone else."
Aurora couldn't help but laugh at his comment. It would've been a lie to say she hadn't done the same. She really had tried to stay awake, but Binns' droning voice and ghostly presence had always lulled her to sleep.
"That's exactly why I want to change that. No more goblin wars!"
Remus smiled, the memory of Professor Binns droning on about goblin wars during his school days flashing vividly in his mind.
"In that case, I'd love to see your syllabus for the year. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
Aurora smirked. "Come to my classroom tomorrow afternoon, Professor Lupin."
Remus started to reply, but before he could, Professor McGonagall swept into the Great Hall, leading a line of nervous first-years waiting to be sorted into their houses.
Aurora turned her attention to the first-years gathered nervously in front of the teachers' table. They looked utterly stressed, their faces pale with anxiety. She offered them a warm, reassuring smile and noticed that Lupin did the same.
She felt a small pang of regret that she hadn't been able to exchange a few more words with him. Their brief conversation had been pleasant, and it was comforting to know she'd have someone to talk to, even if it was just about lesson plans. Remus seemed genuinely kind, and that was enough to make her feel a little more at ease.
~•~•~
Aurora's first class was scheduled for September 2nd at 9 a.m. Nervous and terrified, she knew there was no way she could eat; her stomach felt like it was tied in a knot. That's why she skipped breakfast entirely, avoiding the Great Hall that morning.
Instead, she spent the hours before class pacing back and forth in her office. When the time drew near, she moved to the classroom, where everything was already prepared on her desk. Now, all that was left was to wait for the students to arrive.
When the clock struck nine, Moonridge officially opened the door and welcomed the seventh-year students into her classroom. They shuffled in, looking groggy and half-awake. Aurora understood; the first week of school was always tough, a struggle to reset their biological clocks. Still, she couldn't help but hope that, as the weeks went on, they'd start arriving to her lessons with a bit more energy.
"Welcome to the first History of Magic class of the school year," Aurora began, her voice calm but carrying a slight nervous edge. "As you may have heard at the Welcome Feast last night, my name is Aurora Moonridge, and starting this year, I'll be teaching History of Magic to the students of Hogwarts. Professor Binns retired at the end of last school year, and I'm here to take his place. Any questions?"
A heavy silence filled the room as the students exchanged uncertain glances. No one said a word.
"Okay, I understand," Aurora said, nodding with a small, encouraging smile.
After a pause, one brave girl hesitantly raised her hand. "Where exactly is Professor Binns now?" she asked. "I mean... he's been dead for ages, so... did he cross over or...?"
Aurora let out a soft laugh, amused by the earnest curiosity, and leaned back against her desk.
"Honestly, I have no idea what happens to ghosts when—or if—they decide to cross over. I'm not sure they even can, since they chose to stay behind on Earth after their deaths. That said," she added thoughtfully, "I think that might be a question for Professor Lupin. If I remember correctly, and I wasn't a student here all that long ago, we covered ghosts as part of Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"What's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor like?" asked another student, who seemed to perk up at the mention of Lupin. "Is he nice? He seemed quiet from a distance, but very friendly."
Aurora's smile widened at the question. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she had a feeling that Professor Lupin had already caught the attention of some of the older students.
"Well, I only met him yesterday," she replied, recalling their pleasant conversation before the feast. "But yes, he seems very friendly. I'm sure he'll be a good teacher."
"He doesn't seem bad, but Lockhart was definitely more handsome," another student quipped.
The entire class burst into laughter. Aurora couldn't help but smile, though she tried to hide it behind a hand. Laughing at students wasn't exactly professional, after all.
Once the laughter died down, she addressed the comment. "If I'm not mistaken, Gilderoy Lockhart ended up in St. Mungo's after everything that happened last year and the truth about him came to light. Supposedly, his mental health isn't in the best shape."
Aurora's tone became firmer as she added, "But History of Magic classes aren't for gossiping about other teachers. Let me walk you through what we'll be covering this year."
The class groaned in unison, clearly hoping to avoid diving into a proper lesson just yet.
"I know, I know. Really. I was a student too. And I was Professor Binns' student, no less. I know exactly what those lessons were like, but trust me, we won't be covering the Goblin Wars anymore." Aurora smiled slightly, knowing the students were probably relieved. "For your year, I'd like to focus on the Wizarding War. I know it hasn't been covered before, and it's a pivotal event that marks a new chapter in history." She felt a spark of happiness seeing the excitement in their eyes. After all, those were times that no one spoke of openly, and Voldemort's name was never uttered aloud. "Once we've covered the Wizarding War, we'll start revising for your N.E.W.T.s, but don't worry—I promise we'll approach it in a way that will help you actually remember things and pass those tests with flying colors."
As she finished her speech, Aurora glanced around the room. Her eyes landed on a student who was resting his head on a pillow laid out on his desk. She walked over to him slowly, taking the pillow from under his head, which made the boy immediately wake up.
"You're welcome to use pillows on the chairs, so your back doesn't fall off, but not on the desk. In my class, we won't be sleeping off sleepless nights. As you've probably noticed, I'm not Professor Binns."
~•~•~
As Aurora closed the door behind the last student who had left her classroom after their final lesson, she finally allowed herself a sigh of relief. It had been an incredibly stressful day, but she had made it through. She had made it through, and from the looks on the students' faces, it seemed they had enjoyed their first class with her. Well, at least none of them had fallen asleep. That was a good sign. She only hoped it would stay that way.