Who: Teddy Nott and Remus Lupin
What: Teddy knocks a bit of sense into Professor Lupin
When: After the funeral
Where: The MacMillans' house



Teddy never thought he'd have to attend Ernest MacMillan's funeral. The man had always been so full of life and talking about plans for the future. He also really was young. Where Angus Nott had been older, Ernie's father had been young and vibrant. Some of it was his actual age, but he also acted like a big kid sometimes. It just seemed so wrong that his spark would no longer light the world.

But as much as Teddy hurt, he knew the MacMillans ached more. If anyone knew first hand how much a father's loss impacted a family, it was Teddy. He couldn't help remembering his own father during the services. It had been a long day, but he wasn't going to skip seeing Ernie and his family back at their house. He spent quiet time with Jean and even managed to string a coherent sentence together for Ernie before he took a quiet corner of the room. Draco had put in an appearance and gone home, but Teddy couldn't bring himself to leave.

His eyes eventually landed on Remus Lupin. Poor Professor Lupin. Teddy knew he had lost many in his life. That in mind, he made his way to him, resting a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Hello, Professor." He squeezed gently, taking the seat next to him.

Remus would describe the feeling as numb, were he using words. He'd ignored most everyone who'd inquired after him, barely even speaking to Tonks. He'd managed a few whispered condolences to Jean, and gave his love to the rest of the family. But he truly didn't know how to deal with this. When he'd lost James and Lily and even Sirius, it was a war they'd been fighting. It was hard to accept, but it at least had some sense to it. Ernest MacMillan's death, while more natural, felt more uneasy. He simply couldn't wrap his head around losing someone so young; Ernest had always been there for him, even when he hadn't been able to support himself. Remus had always looked up to him.

For the most part, he'd tuned the rest of the room out. Everyone was standing around, feeling awkward, and saying the same things to each other, simply in different voices. His mind had shut off, focusing only on Ernest and his still very young family. But the touch on his shoulder and the gentle squeeze caused him to blink back the daze and meet his companion's eyes.

He forced himself into teacher mode, sitting up a bit straighter and placing a sympathetic look on his face. "Theodore. Hello, dear boy, how are you?"

Remus didn't need to go into "teacher mode" for Teddy anymore. The young man viewed Remus as a mentor still, but also a friend. He smiled softly, keeping his hand at Remus' back. "About as good as you look," he joked mildly.

"That good, huh?" Remus asked, dropping the air and relaxing just a bit. He knew he wasn't looking his best. How could he, when he'd barely slept in days being kept up at night thinking?

"I'm really sorry, Professor. I know you were close." Teddy looked at the man with understanding eyes. He had never lost a friend his own age, but losing anyone was difficult, adult or not. He looked around the room again. "Seems Mr. MacMillan had many friends." Somehow, that made the man's death even worse.

Remus sighed, glancing the room over. "He was well loved," he agreed, propping his chin in his hands. "A good man. Rarely had a mean word to say about anyone."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Teddy managed to grin at his former DADA professor.

"Hmm?" The thought was completely lost on the older man.

Oh, he was definitely distracted. Teddy's smile faltered as he realized just how down Remus really was. "You," he said, stressing his point with a fierce look. "You are that good man too."

Remus gave a soft laugh, though there wasn't much feeling behind it. "I wouldn't say that. Not many can compete with Ernest." His voice cracked slightly over his friend's name, but he still smiled in the process.

He might have smiled, but Teddy caught the sadness in Remus' tone all the same. He could also actually feel the older man's pain. "Well, there are two men besides my father and uncle who I ever considered family so I disagree." Teddy's Slytherin stubbornness was coming out along with his ability to use the right amount of sentiment to get his desired result. And at the moment? He was going to pull out all the stops to make Remus feel even a bit less sad.

Dark eyes lit slightly, and he glanced up and studied Teddy curiously. "You've too much faith sometimes, and not enough others," he scolded, though there was no real anger in his tone.

"Or maybe you're the one without the faith right now." Teddy drew his back straight, meeting Remus' gaze head on.

Most people might have snapped back at that comment, but Remus no longer had the energy to. "Maybe you're right," he said quietly. "Maybe I don't."

"Professor..." Teddy shook Remus slightly. "Would Mr. MacMillan want this? Or would he want you to look out for his family? And yourself for that matter!" If sentiment wouldn't work, perhaps tough love would. Either way, Teddy wasn't giving up without a damn good fight. Remus had rescued him from his despair and he wanted to return the favor.

Remus swallowed hard. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting someone to try and talk him out of his stupor, but he never expected it to be one of his students, least of all the mild-mannered Slytherin. "He wouldn't have wanted any of this, Theodore. He'd rather be here right now."

"Oh, that's right. Ernest MacMillan would want the world to stop spinning on its axis because he's not here. Silly me." Teddy met Remus' words with clear scorn. He withdrew his hand, crossing both arms over his chest. He knew what it felt like to have the world crash down, but he also knew withdrawing helped no one, least of all the the one withdrawing. It drove him mad that Draco did it and it looked like Remus was also sending him over the edge for it. "Maybe Ernie should rethink taking over his company then? Should I quit? Shall Draco take it as proof life really does just suck? I need to get the memo out immediately."

For a long moment, Remus merely stared at the younger man in front of him. A moment later, however, he had to laugh. It was a weak sound, barely a chuckle, but it was there just the same. "I see why the two of you get along now," he offered, a small smile on his face. "You and Draco, that is. You're the kick in the pants he needs when things get too insane."

It wasn't much, but it was something. Smirking, Teddy nodded his head. "Exactly. He whines and I tell him life really isn't all that bad. And he kickes arse for me. It works."

"A symbiotic relationship, then," Remus added, still smiling a bit. "Give and take all around."

"I like to think so." Teddy was glad to see even the small smile on Remus' lips. "We didn't spend much time here growing up, but whenever Mr. MacMillan came to one of our houses, he brought Ernie. I think it's sort of odd to see all the connections now. I mean...here you and I are talking about it and...I didn't even know who you were until you became my professor." His own face brightened slightly as he spoke of the deceased man and how he connected people. "All that is to say...Mr. MacMillan sure did know how to bring people together."

Remus glanced at the floor, but no longer in avoidance. He simply needed a moment to think. "That he did. He was always the first to invite me along, whether I knew anyone or not. I imagine he felt he was doing the same for Ernie, bringing him to play with you or Draco or any of his other colleagues' children."

"Or maybe he just hoped Ernie would rub off on us?" Teddy laughed though a small tinge mixed into his words. "It got awkward there for awhile."

"Growing up isn't easy on anyone," Remus reminded him. "You grow apart, you accept your friends with their faults... A lot of that doesn't really happen until you grow into yourselves."

Teddy shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. It's still sort of odd to be here again. I guess that's why Draco left so quickly." That and he wasn't handling the loss well, but Teddy thought telling Remus such would betray his cousin.

"Can't be easy on him," Remus commented quietly. "From what he was saying to his..." But calling him Draco's uncle felt a bit premature. "To Ted Tonks, I don't think he's taking it very well." Not that Remus himself was, but he had nearly forgotten that Draco had once been close to the elder MacMillan.

"No," Teddy agreed, his tone soft and thoughtful. "He doesn't like to discuss things like this, but..." He blew out a breath, watching as it moved some hair from his eyes. "So soon after my father..." He didn't finish his sentence. He might have moved on, but thinking about Angus still hurt.

That really was all it took. Remus had never been that fond of focusing on himself anyway, and now there was a bonafide opportunity to worry about someone else. Carefully, he reached over, resting a hand on Teddy's knee. He'd always expected to come to care about Harry, and his friends had fallen in easily in turn. But he was always pleasantly surprised at the emotion and concern he'd developed for these other students. "There's been too much loss for any of us lately. He at least came. That's a sign of strength right there."

Teddy was always grateful that Remus held such a neutral stance when it came to his feelings about Draco. Most others were willing to slam the Slytherin, even to Teddy's face. But Remus was different, even going so far as to try and befriend the boy's prickly cousin. "Yes. Considering my aunt and uncle only went to the funeral. I think they felt they wouldn't be wanted here." He hadn't entirely meant to tell Remus that, but he found he trusted him enough not to tell.

In fairness, they might not have been. Lucius, most specifically. Narcissa Malfoy had always made herself presentable to society, no matter the faults against her family. Her husband, however, typically took the brunt of it. But Ernest had been more open-minded than most. "He wouldn't have minded them being here," he said quietly, considering it. "I think he'd have looked at it as a way to get them to mix with everyone else. But he'd want them to be comfortable, too."

"I don't know," Teddy admitted carefully, "Ernie never really did feel comfortable with them." Or, rather, Lucius, but Teddy didn't bother pointing out the obvious. "It's probably better this way." At least Kaleigh was there. Teddy wasn't sure he'd have made it without her.

"They got a chance to pay their respects," Remus said quietly. "That's what's most important."

"Yes. Yes, it is." Teddy leaned back in his seat, shifting to get more comfortable. Then he cleared his throat. "How's...Tonks?" It still felt odd to call her that and even odder to ask Remus about her.

Remus sensed the boy's discomfort and if anything could've made him smile, it was that. "She's fine. Well, well enough considering she has to put up with me. She'll be happy to know you asked after her, though."

"Of course. I mean she's not just your..." Oh, how very awkward indeed. "Your girlfriend," he managed to get out, "But...I mean Draco likes her. So does my mum for that matter."

"When I was your age, I thought the teachers all lived quiet lives and slept in cots in their classrooms," Remus told him, a slightly brighter smile on his face. "She's hard not to like. Believe me, I tried. She sort of makes you grow to care about her, whether you want to or not."

Feeling like they acknowledged the elephant in the room, Teddy laughed. "Yes! Oy, I am sorry. It is just so strange to consider!" He shook his head, clearly embarrassed at his silliness. "But, you're right, she is brilliant."

A slight smirk crossed Remus' face. "I'm afraid we have real lives, Theodore. I know, I know, I hate admitting it even to myself. But we're all regular human beings. Scary thought, isn't it?"

"Actually, I think it is a pretty lucky one. For me at least." He blushed and glanced down at his well pressed trousers.

He could almost hear Severus scolding him for befriending 'his' students again. And yet, Remus didn't care. Theodore was a good student, and he obviously would make a good friend as the years went on. They weren't behind the walls of Hogwarts anymore. As far as he was concerned, House had little to do with it any longer. "I'm pretty glad we do. Get out, that is."

"Maybe you'll get out next week then? For lunch perhaps?" Teddy didn't give into the feeling that it was incredibly odd to invite his professor out. He'd never see Remus if he didn't make an effort and, adult or not, Teddy needed him.

Remus lifted his eyebrows, surprised at the invitation, but pleasantly so. It wasn't something he'd expected, but he was grateful. Maybe it was sort of odd, befriending his students. Maybe it was a sign of how truly lonely he was. But there came a time when they weren't students anymore, but young adults. And it seemed Teddy had become the first to reach that point. "I think I could manage to get out of the castle and out into non-teacher society," he offered with a small smile.

Teddy actually beamed. "My treat too. Consider it a thank you for all those lessons."

"Oh, no, I'm not allowing that," Remus scolded. "Considering those lessons were as helpful for me as they were for you? Not going to happen."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Don't be impossible, Professor! Let a grateful student show you his gratitude."

For a moment, Remus studied him through watchful eyes. Finally, he shrugged. "But only if you'll find it in you to stop calling me professor. I'm not anymore, not yours at least."

"Alright, Mr. Lupin, I won't call you professor anymore." Teddy felt a bit sad that he didn't want the familiar term, but he had never been in the habit of arguing such points.

Remus shook his head. "Not quite, Theodore. If we're going to be friends, and I'm afraid a social lunch is exactly what that is... Well, I won't be going around calling you Mr. Nott, now will I?" He'd rarely called any of his students by their surnames, despite how many of his colleagues did. He liked knowing them on a personal level.

Teddy's lips twitched. It was going to take some getting used to, but he already knew he wanted Remus Lupin in his life for a long time to go. "Then call me Teddy."