Spells and Handcuffs (Remus Lupin)

Epilogue

As the minutes of the lesson passed, the ceaseless buzzing of the classroom and the unlimited amount of energy the students contained increased, which would be a rare sight if this was another class. But this one was different. This class was a comfortable one, a warm one, and everything slotting into place. There wasn't a vicious teacher who would glare at the students with red flames dancing in his eyes. This one was different. The professor was everyone's favorite. He spoke so enthusiastically about his work, his eyes danced brightly whenever someone asked a question or a joke was said and everyone laughed. He knew that every real teacher was a teacher of the heart, regardless of the subject matter. The professor was supportive, smart, talented, caring, and most of all intriguing. Intriguing even in the theory of such subject as Defense against the Dark Arts. Because the professor was the Dark Arts itself.

Their professor was a werewolf. Something that 15 years ago might have shocked students and parents. But not today. And not because a cure for lycanthropy had been found, but because people had changed. Today the teacher was just a teacher, a man. A man you judged by his deeds, not by his appearance. A good teacher, a hero in the eyes of others, owner of the Order of Merlin, first class. His scars did not mean danger, they meant courage. His face expressed love - for the subject, for teaching, for the students. And that was all that mattered to everyone.

Love.

***

"Mr. and Miss Lupin, would you stay after class for a moment?" The professor turned to two of the students. Several of the others smiled jovially at this request. The lesson had just ended, and the students gathered their belongings and discussed the past hour enthusiastically. Two of the children were the last to leave, nodding to their friends not to wait for them. The girl wore the distinctive emblem of the Ravenclaw House, and the boy wore the red-gold lion of Gryffindor. They both wore badges of prefects. The professor smiled. So different and so the same.

Once upon a time, there were two children, a girl, and a boy. The girl had hair the color of the darkest midnight and a heart as big as a sunflower. The boy's eyes were liquid pools of amber. His father loved them with the power of a thousand suns and they flourished, intelligent and kind. The father danced with them in the kitchen to crazy music, the sillier the better. He chased them with fingers that would turn them into monsters with one wiggle. He surrounded them with love and was more fierce in their defense than any lion.

"Dad, why are these formalities?" the girl began, hugging her parent. "Everyone knows you're our father."

Remus smiled, resting his chin on his daughter's head. "In class, I'm your professor, after that - I'm your father."

"If you catch me in the corridors of the castle at night, who will you be?" his son grinned, catching his eye.

"The professor will punish you after class, and your father will beat you up. It doesn't matter that you're almost as tall as me." Remus laughed and ruffled Ethan's hair.

He stared at his two children and once again wondered when they had grown so much. Although twins, they didn't really look alike at all. Hope was quiet and calm most of the time. She rarely got angry or furious, but when that happened, there was a fire. She had no real interest in music or art. She was fascinated with everything in Remus's office, or she wished to be inside and read books. She was an intelligent girl from the start, that was clear enough. Hope was a quick study and enjoyed building blocks and spent so much time with the artifacts in his study, Remus wasn't surprised when she learned most of the basic spells by the age of seven. There was a steadiness to her as if all the storms in the world were a whispering breeze if she was there. It was as if she knew she was born to be a queen of the earth, one who helped others, using her brain to fix whatever needed fixing.