Lupin's True Love Returns

September 16, 1996

Veronica sat in front of Dumbledore's ancient desk with a folder full of reports from the first class of the new DADA. Professor McGonagall was seated beside Veronica. Logan leaned against the fireplace while Veronica tossed report after report in front of Dumbledore. Logan was a bit amazed that the old man hadn't decided to chuck the woman out the door and down the stairs.

"This information doesn't seem to surprise me but we have a slightly larger problem to deal with." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair.

"I'll say. I know the kids have some tough choices but to willingly join that maniac is unacceptable and inexcusable." Veronica surged to her feet in anger.

"She's right, bub. We've got to get his influence out of this school so that we can train these kids right." Logan tossed his cigar butt into the fireplace. "These kids need to learn to work together and they won't do it if they're worried about Death Eaters in their school."

"Are you suggesting, Mr. Logan, that we search each student for the Dark Mark?" Professor McGonagall gazed at the wiry Canadian.

"Shit, yes." Logan moved toward the desk. "We've got to nip the problem in the bud."

"Logan's right. If I have to lift the sleeves of every child in this school I will." Veronica grabbed the reports from the desk. "We found one of Voldemort's supporters and I know we'll find others."

"You-Know-Who is..." Professor McGonagall stared at the growling Logan.

"Will you just say his name? I know Voldedork's suppose to be this super dangerous idiot but he's just a person." Logan pulled out a new cigar.

Veronica looked at her feet as she tried to keep herself from laughing. Once she composed herself she looked up at her former professors. "Logan's right. Fear of a name only intensifies the fear of the man. Voldemort was once a person just like us. He was known as Tom Marvolo Riddle and underneath it all he still is."

Dumbledore shifted his gaze from Veronica to Logan and back again. "Gather all the students in the Great Hall. We'll start to weed them out."

"When we're done there, I think we need to discuss the DADA classes. These kids need a lot of help." Veronica pulled open the door before turning to look at Dumbledore.

"Agreed. You may have the classes whenever you wish." Dumbledore shook his head slightly as Veronica and Logan stepped onto the stairs and disappeared from sight. "We've got a little problem."

"Little problem? Did you see what they were teaching in?" Professor McGonagall glared at Dumbledore. "What exactly were they wearing?"

"I did. I gave them freedom to teach the class as they saw fit. According to Mr. Summers, the students will be able to move a bit more freely in their new uniforms. All the X-Men have those uniforms." Dumbledore climbed to his feet. "I believe we have some Death Eaters to find."

Meanwhile, Veronica and Logan were splitting up their teachers to gather the students.

"We're to get all the students into the Great Hall." Veronica rubbed the back of her neck.

"And then what?" Sirius looked pissed. He knew that it wasn't going to be fun to search each of the students.

"We lift each of their sleeves and weed out the rotten apples." Logan bit down on the end of his cigar. "The sooner we get this done the happier I'll be."

"Right. I'll take the Potions class." Sirius eagerly volunteered as he started to inch toward the stairs.

"Fine but you're going to take Sessho-Maru and Obi-Wan with you. I don't want Severus telling me that you hexed him when you were trying to get the kids." Veronica watched as Sirius's happy face disappeared.

"But Vee..." Sirius looked pleadingly at Veronica and clasped his hands together.

"No buts, just go!" Veronica waved her wand slightly, effectively making Sirius run down the stairs with Sessho-Maru and Obi-Wan hot on his tail. "I'll take Tori and Inu-Yasha with me and get the kids from Divination. Maybe we'll give Trelawney a run for her money."

"Okay. The rest of us will split up and meet you back in the Great Hall." Remus turned to the rest of the teachers. "I'll take Alex and Rin with me to the Care of Magical Creatures Class. I'm sure Hagrid would like to ask you some questions about Ah-Un and Kirara, Rin."

Veronica led Tori and Inu-Yasha up to the North Tower. She pointed out the various portraits as they passed them. One particular knight tried to challenge Inu-Yasha to a duel.

"Come, you knave. Attack me if you dare." The knight pulled out his sword only to have his visor fall over his face.

"Sir Cadogan, it's wonderful to see you again." Veronica stepped close to the portrait.

Sir Cadogan dropped his sword and lifted his visor with both hands. "Do I know thee, kind lady?"

"Of course you do. I'm Veronica Croft." Veronica gave the knight a bright smile.

"Lady Veronica? I was under the impression that you had left the school." Sir Cadogan picked up his sword and stabbed it into the ground.

"Oh, I did but now I'm back. These are some of my friends. This is Lady Tori, Lady of the Western Lands, and Inu-Yasha, her brother-in-law." Veronica motioned Tori and Inu-Yasha forward.

"I ask your forgiveness, sir. I did not know that you were with the ladies." Sir Cadogan bowed low to Inu-Yasha.

"Feh!" Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. "Like you could have hurt me."

"Inu-Yasha." Tori's eyes narrowed slightly.

Inu-Yasha ducked his head slightly as he turned to look at Tori. "Yeah?"

"Do I ask Kagome to say that one word that you hate?" Tori watched Inu-Yasha start to shake his head hurriedly. "Good. I think we need to get to that class you were talking about, Veronica."

"Right. I'll see you around, Sir Cadogan." Veronica waved as she led Tori and Inu-Yasha up the stairs toward the North Tower.

They reached the final landing at the very top of the North Tower. Inu-Yasha looked around for the classroom door. Veronica placed her finger under his chin and tilted his head slightly so that he was looking up at the trap door to the classroom. He pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath as the trapdoor opened and the silver ladder descended. Tori thumped him on the back of his head before climbing the ladder to the heavily perfumed room.

She leaned over the opening and looked down at Veronica. "I'm not sure if you should come up here, Veronica."

"Maybe Inu-Yasha should stay down here but I'm coming up there." Veronica climbed the ladder as Inu-Yasha caught a whiff of the perfumed air floating down to his sensitive nose.

"What the hell is she burning up there?" Inu-Yasha jumped slightly when Veronica glared down at him. "I'll wait here."

Veronica turned around and looked at the gathered third years sitting in the overly warm room. "Professor Trelawney, Professor Dumbledore would like all the students and teachers to gather in the Great Hall. Immediately."

Professor Sybil Trelawney looked at Veronica and Tori through her oversized spectacles. Her dreamy voice made Veronica's teeth grind together in anger. "What is this all about, my dears?"

"We just want all the students and teachers in the Great Hall. You have ten minutes to get your asses down there." Tori reached for the trapdoor and flung it open. "Now move it!"

None of the students moved. Instead they looked at their teacher. Professor Trelawney batted her eyes slightly. "My students do not leave my classroom on the orders of an usurper."

Veronica glanced at Tori. "Usurper?"

"Perhaps I shall tell you your future, dear woman, since you are unable to do so yourself." Tori straightened to her full height of five foot six and glared at the so-called seer. "I see you flying out that open window if you don't let these kids get down to the Great Hall."

"You are a seer?"

"A dream seer, dear, the rarest form of a seer." Tori started to stalk toward the woman. "I can see many futures. For example, I see Harry defeating Voldemort and his followers with help from his friends and schoolmates. I also see Veronica having triplets, one boy and two girls." She threw a look over her shoulder at the astonished Veronica. "If these students do not get down that ladder and to the Great Hall, I see me ripping all your hair out and kicking your ass down the stairs." Tori's hair moved slightly as if on an invisible wind. "Now move it!"

The students grabbed their bags and hurried toward the ladder. One of the girls screamed at the sight of Inu-Yasha at the foot of the ladder. Veronica scrambled down the ladder first to show the girl that Inu-Yasha was harmless, mostly. The students ran down the stairs and into the Great Hall. They didn't notice four girls, a boy, and a man with glowing red eyes. Most of the classes were already in the Great Hall as Veronica, Tori, and Inu-Yasha made their way down the front stairs. Veronica walked right past the man as he held open his arms.

"Mon chérie. It is good to see you again." The man with the red eyes started across the Entrance Hall as Veronica looked into the Great Hall only to see Regina cowering near the door.

"Regina, love. Did someone call me mon chérie?" Veronica watched Regina nod her head slightly. "Did you happen to write to Remy?"

"Yes, ma'am." Regina's voice barely carried on the air as Remus stepped from the Great Hall with Logan and Sirius right behind him.

Veronica glanced over her shoulder and saw him. Remy LeBeau. Her best friend from New Orleans. The man that had taught Regina how to gamble at the tender age of six. "Remy. I missed you."

"I missed you, too, chérie." He took Veronica's hands into his, effectively ignoring the slight growls coming from Logan and Remus. He kissed both her cheeks before placing a kiss on her lips. "When Regina told me that you were teaching here in England, I knew that I had to come."

"Remy, I told you before. I don't date friends."

"Yeah. She doesn't date anyone anymore either." Remus stepped up to Veronica's side and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"And who are you?" Remy's eyes narrowed slightly at the arm draped around the woman he thought of as his.

"This is Remus Lupin, my husband." Veronica smiled up at Remus.

"Mon chérie, you wound me." Remy pretended to hold his heart. "Whatever will I do?"

"How about find a new chick?" Logan was biting on the end of his cigar so hard Veronica thought he was going to swallow the end of it.

Remy ignored Logan as he turned to the five students behind him. "I escorted these students here from New Orleans."

Veronica took a step forward. "Please come into the Great Hall. We'll give you a proper welcome in few moments." The four girls nodded slightly and hurried into the Great Hall with the boy fast on their heels. Veronica turned to Remy. "We could use your help, Remy."

"But of course, chérie." Remy followed after Veronica.

Remus and Logan were both growling again. Sirius was leaning against the doorjamb with a know it all smirk across his face. Remy nodded as Veronica turned on her heel and made her way into the Great Hall just as the last of the students hurried down the stairs after Alex and Lorna.

Dumbledore stood at the front of the Great Hall as the students made their way to their House tables. Regina had managed to put the new students at the Gryffindor Table while Remy followed Veronica, Remus, Logan, and Sirius to the front of the room. All of the teachers were standing there with the exception of Professor Trelawney, who was at the back of the room trying to hide behind her many shawls.

"Attention please." Everyone in the Great Hall quieted immediately. "It has been brought to my attention that there are Death Eaters among the students." This simple sentence caused the students to start talking again. Dumbledore held up his hands slightly, effectively making the room silent once more. "We are going to find the supporters of Voldemort..." There was a slight shiver running through the students.

Logan stepped forward and removed his cigar from his mouth. "Knock it off! It's just a name! We've got an enemy, Magneto, who has given us more trouble than Voldedork and his Meath Beaters..." Everyone gave slight laughs at these names. "...But we don't go around calling him He-Who-Wears-the-Dorky-Helmet." Several more twitters of laughter sounded from the students. The X-Men students shot looks at each other before bursting out with laughter. Harry also laughed along, since Regina had told him all about Magneto. Logan turned back to Dumbledore. "They're all yours."

"Thank you, Logan." Dumbledore looked out over all the students. "I ask that as we approach you, you lift your sleeves so that we can be sure that you are not a ..." He looked at Logan, who grinned and nodded. "...Death Eater."

Veronica, Obi-Wan, Tori, and Logan made their way down the Gryffindor Table. Professor McGonagall followed right behind them so that she could help bind any that needed it. The first group they came to was Harry and everyone from Sixth Year. One by one they lifted their sleeves to reveal untattooed arms. Veronica nodded as she examined each one and made sure that there were no glamour charms on the arms in question. She then passed each student to Obi-Wan and Logan who both could tell if someone was lying to them. They also nodded and passed them to Tori who smiled and said that they were free to go. They sat back at the Gryffindor Table and waited for them to finish searching for Death Eaters. They moved onto the Fifth Years and followed the same process. Eventually each year was cleared. Veronica paused slightly before she started to search the Seventh Years. She looked over at the other Tables and saw that there were close to a dozen students standing with their heads bowed and their wands in Dumbledore's hands. She saw that most of them were in Slytherin and in Seventh Year. Not including Marny, there were five Seventh Years tied up at the Staff Table, Hera, Leila, Eric, Ares, and Alger. There were also several students from Sixth Year, Draco Malfoy not among them. This surprised Veronica because she thought that Allison and Malfoy would have been in with those groups. Either they had really excellent charms on them or they had yet to take the Mark. What had really shocked Veronica, and even Remus, were the numbers from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. At least four were darting looks at the doors trying to gauge the distance to make a break for it. Cho was crying because her best friend, Marietta, had the Dark Mark etched into her arm along with Elliott Molina. Also with them were Michael Corner and Zechariah Smith. Michael was trying to talk his way out of the mess he had gotten himself into. Veronica turned back to the Gryffindor Seventh Years. Each one pulled up their sleeves. Veronica smiled softly as she tapped each arm. When she reached Greg Harvey, his left arm started to glow a soft red color. Veronica started to remove each of the charms that covered his left arm. Once she was finished she had tears in her eyes. There burned into Greg's arm was the Dark Mark.

"You followed in the footsteps of one that my brother called friend." Veronica shoved him toward Obi-Wan. "How many of your friends have you betrayed to that maniac?"

"None of your business, you stupid little Mudblood." Greg struggled against Obi-Wan as Professor McGonagall placed a binding charm on him. "The Dark Lord will have you!"

"I've heard that before." Veronica turned on her heel swiftly to hide the tears starting to leak from the corners of her eyes. "I think we should call the Aurors."

"Of course, Professor Lupin." Professor McGonagall wrapped an arm around Veronica's shoulders as Severus ran from the Great Hall to call the Aurors.

Within minutes, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, who had come out of retirement, and three other Aurors that Veronica didn't recognize where leading the bound students from the Great Hall and the castle. Dumbledore watched silently. He was saddened that they had found a dozen Death Eaters in the school but he was grateful that Veronica and her "allies" were there to help flush them out.

"Now that the search is over, I'm going to turn this assembly over to the Defense professors." Dumbledore bowed slightly to Veronica. "Professor." He left the Great Hall with the five new students following after him.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Veronica perched herself onto the Staff Table as the students squirmed slightly in their seats. "We've only had one class so far but what we saw was awful. We're making a few changes to your schedules. Instead of you only having six DADA classes, you will have two everyday. Fourth Year and up, forget your weekends, because you're going to have physical training on Saturdays. You will learn how to defend yourselves and your families. You will learn how to fight with weapons and wands. When we are finished with you, you will be able to fight no matter the situation. You will know when the situation calls for you to fight." Veronica slid off the table. "Our classes will be held outside until further notice. Dismissed."

Remy watched as the students gathered their things and hurried from the Great Hall. "You always did have a way with words, chérie."

"Shove it, Remy. I'm not in the mood." Veronica stomped past him and out the Front Doors.

Remy looked at everyone gathered around him. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. Her hormones are a little out of control." Sirius stuck out a hand. "I'm Sirius. Paws has told me all about you, Gambit."

"A pleasure, Sirius." Gambit shook the extended hand. "Why do I get the feeling that I am not welcome here?"

"Probably because Vee's pregnant and her hormones are going crazy." Sirius led Remy away from the other teachers. "Come on. I'll explain everything to you. Just remember not to mess with her at that time of the month." Remy's laugh echoed through the halls and corridors.