JULIET {remus lupin}

CHAPTER 100

January, '93

Remus Lupin wasn't particularly surprised to see Albus Dumbledore standing on his doorstep at the end of January, nor was he surprised that he had managed to break through his fidelius charm (a spell he had been quite proud of).

His old headmaster stepped through the door with a smile, and looked around Remus' house unassumingly. Wallpaper was peeling, walls were damp, and everything was in general disrepair. He sighed as he watched the man make him a cup of tea, once Hogwarts' smartest student, falling deeper and deeper into this tragic life. There was a singular photograph on his wall, a singular confirmation that it was in fact he who lived there. A single piece of personality. Dumbledore approached the photo and looked at it, smiling. Remus had his arm around Juliet Romilly, leaning into her, whispering something that made her laugh. He smiled at the sight of the witch, she was a great member of his staff. His heart dropped a little at James and Lily, Harry was so much of them.

"Think Juliet sent me that," Remus said, nodding towards the photograph, he pointed his wand at it and levitated it, showing the headmaster the words written on the back.

They wouldn't want you to rot.

Albus laughed at that, and looked to the man, "well, they wouldn't, would they?"

Remus sighed, he had hoped a lot that James and Lily couldn't see his current situation. Of course, he wanted them always with him, but not here.

"Do you remember our conversation, a few years ago?"

Remus nodded grimly, the thought of Hogwarts still made him feel a little ill, but in money terms, he was certainly running out of options.

Dumbledore respected Juliet's wishes that he should not know she taught at Hogwarts, she felt it might put him off.

"I've had a lot of people coming to me worried about you, Remus. A muggle woman in particular will not stop writing to me."

Remus couldn't help but laugh softly at the idea of Anne writing to Albus Dumbledore, he had assumed she had given up when he stopped seeing her wandering around the fields, desperately trying to find his house.

"Juliet too, expressed her concern."

He sighed at that and said nothing.

"You're an exceptional wizard, Mr Lupin. Always have been. I must say, your fidelius was particularly impressive, even I had trouble breaking through."

Remus laughed and shook his head, "so you're proposing I teach?"

"I am," the old man said. "I have a feeling our Dark Arts professor will not work out this year."

Remus raised an eyebrow, remembering the rumour at school that the position was cursed.

"We're having trying times at Hogwarts, and I suspect everything is only going to get harder."

"I read," Remus said. "In the prophet, about the petrifyings."

"Dark magic will continue to try to break Hogwarts," he sighed. "The Dark Lord will, we think, return."

Remus stumbled backwards a little at that, he had not read about this in the prophet.

"He's dead."

Albus shook his head.

"Harry-"

"Harry is in more and more danger every day."

Remus thought about meeting the boy, he had avoided every photograph or article about him that he saw. The one glimpse he had caught, all he saw was his eyes, Lily's eyes.