Marauders' Godson Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Twenty-Five

The next day they all went to visit Hagrid.

"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said with a smile. "I mean, with 'im escapin' again, an' everythin' -- but guess what?"

"What?" Ruby asked. Everyone else pretended to look curious.

"Beaky! He escaped!" Ruby half pretended to squeal. "He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"

Ron and Onyx turned red trying not to laugh, and Hermione and Topaz elbowed them.

"That's wonderful!" Ruby said happily.

"Yeah," said Hagrid. "Can't've tied him up properly. I was worrietd this mornin', mind... thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds. But Lupin says he never ate anythin' last night-"

"What?" Edward said with alarm.

"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" Hagrid asked. "I though' you would, bein' his foster kid, Ed.... Someone saw Lupin on the grounds las' night; now the whole school knows 'e's a werewolf. He's packin' now, o' course."

"Why?" Harry demanded. Onyx and Draco exchanged alarmed looks, and Topaz's and Hermione's eyes widened. Ruby gave Edward a worried look.

"Leavin', isn' he?" Hagrid frowned. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again."

"Let's go see him," Ruby said at once, leaping to her feet. "We'll see you at lunch, Hagrid!"

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Remus' door was open when they arrived. His office was almost completely empty, and Remus was bending over his desk, looking at something on it, and looked up when Edward, the triplets, Harry, Draco, Ron, and Hermione entered.

"I saw you coming," Remus said with a smile. He picked up the Marauder's Map and gave it to Harry.

"We just saw Hagrid," said Ruby anxiously. "And he said you'd resigned. Is that true?"

"I'm afraid it is," Remus apologized. He closed the trunk next to him and locked it.

"Why?" Harry and Edward demanded at the same time.

"The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?" Edward asked.

"No," Remus replied. "Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed. "But now that the whole school knows I'm a werewolf-"

"Everyone thinks you're a wonderful teacher," Topaz interrupted. "And Ruby's not the only one who's angry at the werewolf bigamy. You should hear Melissa Greenwood -- her uncle is a werewolf." When everyone stared at him he added, "She asked me to tutor her with Charms."

"Ajax Greenwood?" Remus questioned. Topaz nodded. "He's a very good man."

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Ruby said worriedly. Draco and Onyx nodded quickly, agreeing with her. "Don't go!"

Remus smiled but didn't say anything. After a long pause, he turned to Harry. "From what the headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned.... Tell me about your Patronus."

"How d'you know about that?" Harry asked with surprise. Ruby smirked behind him.

"What else could have driven the dementors back?"

Harry told him the same thing he'd explained the night before to Edward, Draco, Ruby, and Onyx.

"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," Remus said. "You guessed right... that's why we called him Prongs."