Remington J. Steele (chocolatier) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-01-25 22:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !narrative, * terri, c: remington steele |
WHO: Remington Steele --> Remus Lupin
WHEN: January 25th
WHERE: Remi, Lyra, and Zora's apartment.
SUMMARY: Waverly's invitation to move in together surfaces a job offer and homecoming for Remus.
WARNINGS: Feels.
His life had been a series of ups and downs. The last several years had consisted only of downs. There had been a time when he had felt accepted and useful...when he had belonged. All of that had gone away so swiftly when he had lost all that remained of his friendships. After Remus learned what happened, he had returned to his small, shabby apartment broken and desperately lonely. He never stayed anywhere for long. Without the assistance of his friends, his transformations were worse than ever and recovery took such a long time. He wasn’t the only lonely one. The wolf that resided in him missed his pack. Before other tenants could get suspicious of his behavior or before employers could ask questions, he would always pack up his things and move on. Remus never got comfortable anywhere, as he knew that others wouldn’t be safe around him just as he would never be accepted by potential peers. The inclusion that he’d had with his friends had been a rare and beautiful thing, but it was not to be repeated. For years, he shifted from place to place until he found a small, tumbledown cottage in Yorkshire. It was secluded enough that he believed himself to be safe from suspicions. Though he still bounced from job to job, often not even claiming his true name, Remus had finally settled in a place that he wouldn’t have to abandon immediately. It was there that Dumbledore found him. Remus had been astounded just at the sight, at first. He had not seen him since that fateful day in a small pub when Dumbledore had asked him to go north. That’s where he had been...on a mission for Dumbledore, when he had heard the news of the betrayal and death of his closest friends. Though Dumbledore didn’t look to have changed much at all, Remus’ hair was flecked with grey and his body was littered with more scars than it had ever been before. “You want me to teach?” Remus remembered that long-ago dream that he’d had. They had even talked about it once. Years ago. Back when his friends had been alive and he’d been working for the Order of the Phoenix. He had always been a dedicated student and he’d proven that he could be a good professor, given the chance. In those days, Dumbledore had been persuasive enough to convince him that he was better suited serving the Order while he was so young and passionate. He would do better things there...help more people. Now he wondered if that had ever been true. “Quite. The post of Defense Against the Dark Arts has recently become vacant, and I would like you to fill it,” Dumbledore smiled as he pushed a gobstone across the board in front of them, but Remus had lost interest in the game. “No one would ever accept me as a professor, Dumbledore. Not with my...condition. You know that. It was one thing to have me there as a student, but if the parents found out…” “They wouldn’t need to know. It’s been arranged to have an unlimited supply of Wolfsbane Potion at your disposal for full moons, Remus. You will take your potion, and return the same Hogsmeade cottage that you frequented in your time at school. The pathway will likely need a little cleaning, but that’s to be expected after these years away. Severus has already agreed to brew the potion.” Remus scoffed, “And you’re certain he wouldn’t try to poison me with it?” “He is quite prideful of his potions, Remus. It would be a disservice to his craft to improperly brew such a complicated tonic,” Dumbledore mused, a small smile on his lips. His resolve was beginning to give. He had never even been able to try the potion, given the expense of the ingredients. “Harry would be there,” Remus stated this as a fact. “He’s quite a good Quidditch player,” Dumbledore’s compliment was almost idle. “I don’t want him to know who I am, Dumbledore,” Remus clasped his hands nervously, and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I will not tell him. That is your choice, Remus. Should you reconsider, it will be your decision. I expect you’ll treat him like any other student,” Dumbledore assumed, then, that he was agreeing to take the post. Remus took in a deep breath and held it within his lungs for a long moment, “Fine. But if I’m ever a danger…” “I will see you on the first of September, Remus.” With that, Dumbledore stood and vanished from the cottage. In his wake, he left only a stack of parchment with an agreement and instructions. He had paced the small space of the living room in that cottage for what seemed like hours, fretting over whether or not he had made the correct decision. It mattered little. Not only did he desperately need the money, but he wanted to see Harry. He wanted to return to Hogwarts where he might find some peace again. His happiest years had been held within those walls. He had only lived alone since he had left Hogwarts. Returning to the bustle of the school would definitely take some getting used to. With a resolute breath, Remus went to the closet in his bedroom and pulled down a case that had seen better days. He set it upon his bed and hesitated, lingering over the peeling letters there at one corner. Professor R. J. Lupin. He had laughed as he carried it around all these years. It had been a gift from his father shortly after he’d left Hogwarts with the aspiration of becoming a professor. He’d thought that it would come in handy back then and had been reluctant to use it, but it had seen better days now that he actually would be a professor. Maybe it didn’t matter that all of his robes were worn and his possessions were few. Maybe he could finally put his mind to work, and show that he was capable of far more than he’d ever been allowed to do. He could instill knowledge in the minds of those young witches and wizards. There was a possibility that some of the might even be inspired. He felt hope for the first time in a very long time. He was going to leave this life behind. He was going back to Hogwarts. He was going home. Remington woke with a start, and when she lifted her head from the desk, the newsprint she had been reading when she doze off was stuck to her cheek. It was open to the classifieds...specifically, available properties in the area. She wrinkled her nose as she pulled the print from her cheek and rubbed it roughly, a bit of ink coming away. With a sigh, she folded the paper and set it aside, turning to crawl into her bed. She needed to talk with Lyra and Zora about Waverly’s offer...and her acceptance. She was going to have to redefine home, and that was a little bit scary after so long of knowing what it meant. That, she decided as she closed her eyes once more, was a problem for Morning Remington. |