REMUS' OFFICE DOOR WAS OPEN. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Remus was bending over something on his desk, and only looked up when Alena knocked on the door.
"I saw you coming," he smiled, pointing to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.
"You're not actually resigning, are you?" Alena asked.
"I'm afraid I am," Remus began opening his desk drawers and taking out its contents.
"Why?" Harry asked. "The Ministry of Magic doesn't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"
Remus crossed the door and closed it behind Alena and Harry.
"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives, Lena included," he sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he—erm—accidentally let it slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"Accident my arse," Alena whispered. Remus giving her a faux looking of disapproval.
"You're not leaving just because of that!" Harry exclaimed.
Remus smiled weakly.
"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents—they will not want a werewolf teaching their children. And after last night, I can see their point. I could have bitten any of you... that must never happen again."
"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had," Alena protested. "And I can just wipe the memory of people that Snape told!"
Remus shook his head, but didn't speak. He carried on emptying out his drawers. Then, while Harry and Alena were trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Remus congratulated, "From what the Headmaster told me this morning, you two saved a lot of lives last night. Tell me about your Patronuses."
"How d'you know about that?" Harry asked him, distracted.
"What else could have driven the Dementors back?"
Harry and Alena told Remus what had happened. When they'd finished, Remus was smiling again.
"I'm sure you know this, Harry but, your father was a stag when he transformed," he told Harry. "That's why we call him Prongs."
"Here—I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he handed Harry the Invisibility Cloak. "And..." he hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map to Alena. "I'm no longer your teacher so I don't feel guilty about giving you this back. It's no use to me, and I daresay you two, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it."
Alena took the map and smiled.
"Harry told me that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure him out of the school... you said they would have thought it was funny..." Alena explained to Remus.
"And so we would have," Remus answered, reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James and Sirius would be highly disappointed if their children had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."
There was a knock on the door. Alena quickly stuffed the Marauder's Map in her pocket, as Harry did the same with the Invisibility Cloak.
It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look to surprised to see Harry or Alena there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he told him.
"Thank you, Headmaster."
Remus picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.
"Well—goodbye, Harry," he smiled. "It's been an honor and a pleasure teaching you. I'm sure we'll meet again, soon. Alena, my dear, I'll see you at home. You've been so lovely, and I thank you for that. Headmaster, there is no need to see me at the gates, I can manage..."
Alena knew this was tearing Remus up inside, which was probably why he wanted to leave so quickly.
"Goodbye, then, Remus," Remus shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod and a swift smile, Remus left the office.
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