The Final Battle

Werewolves

The rest of the holiday passed rather quickly and soon Harry found himself on the way to King's Cross Station with Sirius.

Remus had decided to take the train with Harry and his friends, but he had stubbornly refused to get there by motorcycle like Sirius and Harry. This had earned him some snide remarks from Sirius about being scared, but he had quickly answered that he liked his health too much to risk a ride on the Black Bitch. This had shut up Sirius rather effectively and he had started pouting again. Remus had apparated to London.

So Harry was now sitting on said motorcycle in front of his godfather and soared through the morning clouds above London. He couldn't understand Remus' aversion against the Black Bitch at all, ever since Sirius had been given her back he had wanted to take a ride on her. And now he was actually sitting on the famous motorcycle, his luggage shrunk and in Sirius' pocket, his godfather's left arm protectively around his waist, and soared through the morning sky. Had it not been for the sounds of the powerful machine under them, it would have been like flying a broomstick. Only faster and more comfortable. They landed in a backyard near King's Cross and quickly made their way into the station.

Inconspicuously, they leaned onto the barrier between platform nine and ten and made their way onto platform 9 ¾. Sirius removed the shrinking spell from Harry's trunk and waved it along the platform in search of Remus and Harry's friends.

"Harry! Over here!"

Recognizing Ron's voice immediately, Harry turned his head in search of his friend's unmistakable red hair. He found him near the end of the train, together with Hermione and their parents. Remus was standing next to Arthur and Molly Weasley, talking animatedly with them. Quickly, Harry and Sirius crossed the distance and joined their friends.

Harry found himself enveloped in a greeting hug from Hermione and turned a deep shade of red when Ginny hugged him as well. As he looked up, he saw a broadly grinning Sirius and next to him Remus eyed Harry carefully, as if searching for injuries he could blame on the Black Bitch.

"And Harry, did you enjoy the trip here or did Sirius' driving style convince you of the danger of the Black Bitch?"

Ron stared open mouthed.

"You came here with Sirius' motorcycle? Really? Wow, that's bloody brilliant!"

"Ronald Weasley, mind your language!"

Ron's mother had heard her son's last words and now came to join Sirius, Remus and the children with a very stern expression. Which she quickly turned towards Sirius.

"You really took Harry here with that dangerous thing? Sirius, what if something had happened?"

Sirius quickly turned redder than Harry had and searched for the right words to defend himself. Why did his boots always seem so interesting when Molly had that tone in her voice?

"Really Molly, what could have happened? I didn't let him ride that bike alone, I was driving and he was merely sitting on it. No danger in that, I know how to drive her."

Remus nodded.

"Sure you do. That's why you collided with that tree during our seventh year, I suppose?"

Molly stared at Sirius, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"What?"

The tone of her voice was a mixture of extreme shock, anger and worry for her beloved foster-child. But mostly it was shock.

"That was because I was still experimenting with the flying charm, it's been years ago. Believe me Molly, that bike is working properly, I've taken good care of her. And I really know how to fly her."

"Molly, that's true. Sirius really cares for that bike and keeps it in a good state. When he woke up in the hospital after his crash when he was twenty-one, his first concern was whether the Bike was still okay. And after his broken bones had healed properly, he immediately checked it himself, though the doctor had said that he still needed rest because of that concussion..."
"Remus! Why don't you take your trunk, get into the train and search for a compartment? Otherwise, your teaching career will be over before it started again."

Sirius' voice sounded as if he could hardly restrain himself from cursing Remus on the spot for telling Molly about his accidents. Remus laughed, took his things, bid Arthur and Molly goodbye and went into the train. When he passed Sirius, he muttered "Can't come up with a good plan to trick you, right? I told you I could. Have a good term and don't get yourself into trouble.", which earned him another light smack on the back of his head.

Molly now looked as if she wanted to adopt Harry on the spot, only to get him out of the hands of this man. Sirius had to stifle a laugh.

"Molly, believe me. Though what Remus has told you is true, he has exaggerated things a little. He simply hates that bike with a passion, so his view on those accidents is a little biased. And don't forget that I was a lot younger then. Do you really think I'd do anything that could endanger Harry after so many years of fighting for him?"

Molly eventually broke into a smile.

"No, of course not Sirius. But I'd be a lot more relaxed if I knew that he didn't ride that motorbike anymore."

"Do you mean I shouldn't get him an own bike for his next birthday?"
Before Molly found her voice again and could answer, the sound of a whistle indicated that the train would leave in five minutes. Sirius gave Molly an apologetic grin and then turned towards his godson.

"Okay kiddo, have a good term. And keep an eye on Remus for me, will you?"
"To be honest Sirius, I'm asking myself who will keep an eye on you."

"You've been talking to Remus, haven't you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and gave Sirius his most innocent smile.

"I talk to him all the time. It just comes along with living in the same house, you know?"

Sirius laughed and pulled Harry into his arms.

"Just take care of yourself, don't get into any serious trouble and maybe take the time to write now and then. If anything unusual happens, go straight to Remus or Albus, okay? I love you Harry."

"I love you too Sirius. And promise to take care as well. No playing hero, no acting without thinking and please, no stupid revenge plans."

"I promise."

"Okay."

They let go of each other, and with a last wave towards Hermione's parents and a handshake and a hug from Arthur and Molly Weasley, Harry climbed into the train and searched for his friends. He found them in a compartment at the end of the train, where Hermione and Remus were already deeply engaged in a discussion about the Defence curriculum. Ron looked up with a thankful gaze when Harry came into the compartment.

"Thanks Merlin that you're finally here Harry. Hermione is already back in school-mode, she doesn't talk about anything but the N.E.W.T.s! The N.E.W.T.s, can you believe that? They're ages away!"

Harry laughed and sat down next to Remus.

"You're still not used to her after so many years? Ron, that's Hermione, and there is nothing in the world that can change that."

Ron sighed.

"Really nothing? I was still hoping that one of these days they would find a cure."

"No chance Ron. But maybe we should save Remus, don't you think?"

"Yeah, before she makes him want to go back home even before he arrives at the castle."

Harry laughed heartily.

"Oh Ron, you don't know anything. Believe me, not even if Snape decided to teach in a pink dress from now on it could make him want to go back. Because at home he would be faced with the worst of all nightmares: Sirius Black, the mother hen."

Ron looked at his friend as if he had lost his mind.

"What are you talking about, mate? I always thought that they got along with each other quite well."

"Yes, before Sirius decided to transform into a mothering, fretting nurse worse than Madam Pomfrey."
"Oh my god. That's possible?"

"Yep. Been there, seen it. Ouch!"

Neither Ron nor Harry had realized that Hermione and Remus had ended their conversation and had listened to every word the boys had exchanged. Remus raised an eyebrow and gave Harry a stern look.

"I'd appreciate it very much if you wouldn't talk about me as if I wasn't there. And you'd better watch what you say about your godfather. He's not that bad."

"Well, the day Dumbledore came for a visit you were talking very differently."

"Harry..."

Remus' voice now implied a threatening tone and Harry quickly raised his hands in a gesture of defeat.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything about your difficult patient-caretaker relationship anymore. By the way, are the teachers actually allowed to hit their students?"

Remus smiled sadistically.

"Well, until we arrive at the castle, I'm not your teacher yet. So, as long as this train ride goes on, I'm still your...your - what am I actually?"

All four of them laughed, and then Harry pretended to think very hard.

"Well, I don't know. How about - Uncle Remus?"

"Young man, you're walking on a very thin line..."

"Okay, okay! Then you are my godfather's best friend who lives in the same house than we do and who in addition to that happens to be my professor at school. Now that this won't fit onto any visiting card, we could sum it up to - friend. How about that?"

Remus laughed.

"Well, certainly better than Uncle Remus. A lot better, actually. I always told your mother that I would hex her into next month if she started teaching you anything like this.

Oh, and by the way: Snape in a pink dress is something you don't want to see. Believe me. I thought I would never get rid of those nightmares again."

Ron and Hermione gaped at their teacher with an expression of awe and respect.

"You didn't really..."

Remus laughed.

"No, I did not. Sirius dared James into doing it. If I remember it right, James also added a nice charm that transfigured the grease Snape calls hair into cute little locks. Unfortunately for good old Severus, James had put a time charm on it, so that for twenty-four hours no counter charm would work. Severus actually had to go to classes like that."

Hermione looked flabbergasted while Harry and Ron could hardly restrain themselves anymore. Ron was the first to regain control over his vocal chords again.

"I had never thought I would hear the words 'Snape' and 'cute' in one sentence together without 'absolutely not' in between."

"Yeah, and I hope I never have to hear them together again. Bad mental image!"

Harry shook his head and made a face in disgust while Remus nearly laughed his head off.

The rest of the train ride practically flew by. Around midday, the old witch with the food tray passed their compartment, and an hour later they were joined by Seamus, Dean and Neville. They spent the afternoon talking about their holidays, about the upcoming term (in Hermione's case), and begging Remus to tell them more stories from his time at school. Far too soon the Hogwarts Express slowed down and drove into Hogsmeade station where the youths bid Remus good bye and climbed into the horseless carriages that would bring them up to the castle. Remus would floo from the Three Broomsticks directly into his office.

"How I'm looking forward to the feast tonight. I just hope there won't be too much talking and more food."

Harry laughed.

"Oh, Ron. Will you ever stop thinking with your stomach?"

Snorting, Ron replied.

"Sure Hermione. On the day you will stop being a human encyclopaedia."

"Ron Weasley, I will only tell you once more: there is nothing wrong with reading books."

"Hey, hey. Ron, Hermione, please stop that. Believe me, I've had enough banters during the holidays to last for a lifetime. How about simply enjoying the feast tonight and worry about our lessons tomorrow when there's time for it?"

Both nodded.

"Fine. Oh, we're there."

Truly, the carriages had arrived in front of the castle and quickly the students climbed off and streamed back into the castle, where they joined those who had stayed over the holidays. After some minutes, the entire student's body was assembled in the Great Hall and waited for the feast to begin.

"Hey Harry!" Ron leaned over towards his friend so that he wouldn't spoil the surprise of their new teacher for the rest of the Gryffindors. Very few had actually seen Remus get on the train in London.

"Where is Remus? Won't he come to the feast? It's not full moon tonight, is it?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, the next full moon is in twenty three days."

Inwardly, Harry was surprised how quickly he had adopted keeping an eye on the lunar circle. Ever since Remus had moved in with Sirius, Harry had paid attention to when the full moon was and every morning after the full moon he had written an owl home and asked about Remus' wellbeing. More than once he had thought that this was like it must have been for his father and Sirius when they had been back at school. Counting down the days till the next transformation and then worrying about Remus' recovery. Month after month.

"However, Dumbledore first wanted to announce that he is alive and back to teach here, just in case that there are still some students who have not gathered it from the papers. Otherwise it would be quite a shock if he all of a sudden sat on the teacher's table as if nothing had happened, don't you think?"

Ron grinned.

"Yeah, but it would be a lot more fun."

Harry had no chance to reply, for at that moment Dumbledore rose from his seat and the Great Hall immediately fell silent. Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked at the hundreds of heads that were turned in his direction.

"Good evening. I'm glad that you all have returned after what I hope has been a restful holiday for you. The welcome feast will begin in a couple of minutes, but I have to make one announcement before that.

I guess that most of you have already heard the news, but as there are those amongst you who are quite cut off from the wizarding world during their holidays, I thought it would be better to announce it again. Especially since not much of it has been in the papers at all.

I am more than glad to tell you that your former Professor Remus Lupin indeed is alive."

Like Harry had guessed, there were only few astonished faces amongst the students. Dumbledore continued.

"But that's not all I have to tell you. As you might have noticed, your Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Figg, has not returned to teach this term. Due to the situation at the Ministry, which at the moment undergoes some drastic changes and re-organization, she has decided that her knowledge would be of more help there. This decision has been made during the holidays, and Professor Figg has asked me to tell you that she is very sad to leave. She said that she really enjoyed teaching all of you.

However, this of course left me in quite a predicament, for Defence is a lesson we absolutely need to teach you. I am more than glad to announce that Remus Lupin has agreed to return to Hogwarts to take up his old post as the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher."

Dumbledore quickly went to the door of the small ante-chamber behind the Great Hall, opened it and escorted Remus to the teacher's table. After some moments of stunned silence, the Hall burst into a deafening applause. Sure, Mrs. Figg had been a popular teacher, but even she could not compete with the popularity of Remus Lupin. Remus smiled and waved at the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Ron clapped wildly.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil stared open mouthed at their classmates.

"You knew about that?" Lavender exclaimed.

Harry grinned his broadest smile and had already decided to leave Lavender in the dark about the source of his knowledge, when Ron blurted it out.

"Well, you can't hide something like this if you're living in the same house, can you?"

Lavender's and Parvati's chins synchronously dropped even farther.

"What???"

Harry's grin grew even wider. It was so obvious that Lavender and Parvati were a bit taken by their Professor and envied him greatly for living together with him. Somehow, Harry could understand them. Ever since Remus knew the truth about who had betrayed his parents, since Sirius was no longer a fugitive and also, though Remus would never admit it, since Sirius had taken care of him, Remus' physical appearance had improved a lot. He had lost his haunted look, and though his hair was still greying it seemed to be fuller. He also didn't look as haggard anymore. All in all, one could nearly describe him as 'handsome', and he definitely drew more attention towards him then he had done three years ago.

Harry was already looking forward to the next conversation with Sirius via the fireplace in Remus' office. He simply had to tell him about this, even though Sirius wouldn't let Remus live it down.

Dumbledore once more cleared his throat.

"Most of you will of course still remember Professor Lupin and also the reasons why he gave up that position in the first place. We have agreed that it is of no use to keep it all secret from the younger students this time. I'd like to ask all of you to listen carefully to what I say right now, and rest assured that Professor Lupin as well as myself are always there for further information if your parents or you need it, this goes especially to the students in third year and below.

Professor Lupin unfortunately suffers from lycanthropy, an illness which forces him to become what most of you know as a werewolf for once a month."

The sharp intakes of breath could be heard all across the hall, coming from most of the students in third year and below who had not been there when Remus had first taught at Hogwarts. Dumbledore silenced the students before they could engage themselves too deep into discussions about those news. Harry watched Remus, who looked rather uncomfortable in this situation, and then threw a glance at Snape, who had a smug and satisfied grin on his face.

'Trust him to like that.' He shook his head and turned his attention back to the headmaster. But before Dumbledore could continue, Remus put an arm on his shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Dumbledore nodded and stepped back, leaving Remus in the centre of attraction. He smiled shyly and then started to talk.

"I am sure that there are many questions, especially amongst those who have not been there when I first taught here three years ago.

Rest assured that my lycanthropy does not influence me on twenty-nine days a month. During that time, I'm just a normal person like any other of your professors." He ignored the snort coming from Snape. "Rest assured that precautions have been taken for the one day of the month when my disease truly affects me. I will be neither in the castle nor even on the castle grounds during those nights, and Professor Snape has kindly agreed to prepare a potion for me to make sure that I am no danger to any of you.

There have been slight adjustments to your schedules, so that there won't be any Defence lessons on the days of full moon.

If there are any more questions, you are most welcome to pose them directly during my office hours. The same goes for your parents, should they be concerned.

I am really glad to be back to teach you again."

He sat down and once again, the Great Hall broke into applause. Harry saw that most of the Slytherins looked flabbergasted at the teacher's table, as if they could not understand what was going on. Three years ago, they had given Remus a very hard time and when his secret had been finally revealed, there had been no Slytherin who had not demanded his removal from the job. This, amongst others, had been one of the reasons why Remus had decided to leave.

Harry let his gaze stray aimlessly through the Great Hall and nearly choked on his pumpkin juice when it fell on Lavender and Parvati. Both of their faces had turned a deeper shade of red than Ron's hair and they were staring at Remus with dreamy expressions on their faces.

'Sirius is going to love this', Harry thought before he turned back towards his dinner.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Soon, the Gryffindor sixth years fell back into their usual routine.

Ron complained that Hermione spent far too much time in the library, preparing not only for the end of the year exams, but also developing a revision system for the N.E.W.T.s.

Hermione was concerned that Ron didn't pay enough attention to his studies, a complaint she had had about him ever since first year. Ron's preparation for the end of the year exams consisted of saying that they were still ages away, and his preparations for the N.E.W.T.s consisted of completely denying their existence.

The rest of the Gryffindors smiled at their antics, to most of them it was crystal clear that Ron and Hermione were cut out to be together, and everybody only waited for them to get together.

Ginny Weasley had obviously spent too much time in the company of her older brothers Fred and George, because she came up with the idea to establish a betting system on when Ron and Hermione would eventually become a couple. Harry sincerely hoped that it would be before Valentine's day, he would earn 10 galleons if that happened. Maybe he should use his connections to the objects of the bet...

Lavender and Parvati behaved very strange ever since that first night back after the holidays. They always stuck their heads together, unusually often they were bent over a Divination book and - much to Harry's distress - they giggled. If there was anything about girls which Harry truly didn't understand, then it was the urge to giggle. Not that he understood very much about them anyway.

Harry had made the mistake to ask Hermione about Lavender's and Parvati's behaviour and had found himself in a tirade about how much those two disturbed her precious night time sleep with their whispering and giggling. But obviously only Harry had realized who the object of their desire was. He had told Ron about this, and ever since then they both found the expectation to tell Sirius and Remus about this very entertaining. But that would have to wait until the first Saturday evening after the new term had begun. And until then, the sixth years would have two DADA lessons, one on Wednesday and one on Friday morning.

The amount of DADA and Potions lessons had been doubled this year, in the hope to prepare the students as good as possible for probable Death Eater attacks they could face one day.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

On Wednesday morning, Remus entered the room and smiled at his students. The sixth year Gryffindors, the class he had been looking forward to teach. Though Remus was deeply devoted to avoid all kind of favouritism, he couldn't help but enjoy teaching Harry and his friends.

He clapped his hands and leaned on his desk.

"Good morning everybody, it's good to be back. Now, from what Arabella told me, you are nearly finished with Dark Creatures, and if I'm not much mistaken, there is only one topic to finish before we can move on towards counter curses and magical first aid. So, who can tell me something about werewolves?"

He smiled smugly as he saw several jaws drop in front of him. Like he had expected, Hermione's hand rose into the air. Her answer however, came most unexpected.

"Erm, Professor Lupin, are you sure about this? I mean - with you being a werewolf and all..."

Remus smiled and gestured her to stop.

"Mrs. Granger, rest assured that I don't have any problems teaching this to you. And, who could be better to teach you something about werewolves than a werewolf himself? Now, let's do some brainstorming. What do you know about werewolves?"

Again, Hermione's hand rose in the air. He smiled and nodded at her.
"Well, the curse is transferred by the bite of a werewolf. The person who gets bitten from that day on changes into a werewolf himself every full moon."

Remus nodded.

"Correct. What else? Mr. Longbottom?"

"Silver k-k-kills werewolves."

Neville's voice was barely audible and his face showed how much he was afraid that Remus might jump at him and rip him into pieces for mentioning this. But again, Remus only nodded and smiled reassuringly at his student.

After some minutes of brainstorming, during which Remus had a very hard time convincing Seamus that garlic didn't have any effect on a werewolf except giving bad breath, Remus leaned back onto his desk again.

"I see that Arabella has taught you a lot about the distinction between a wolf and a werewolf and about the characteristic traits of those who were cursed. However, I am convinced that there are some things which nobody who doesn't suffer from it himself can teach you.

The most important thing I want you to learn is this: if you ever, under any circumstances, are confronted with a werewolf during a full moon night, do not hesitate to stun or kill it. Having me as a teacher might be able to convince you that werewolves are normal people most of the time, but during this one night they are extremely dangerous.

I don't tell you this to scare you or to feed your prejudices, but it is important that you understand it. I know all of you, I have taught you for some time already, and I like you all. But if you would ever encounter me on a full moon, I would not hesitate to kill you. For the wolf you would be nothing more than human prey.

So, as I said, if you ever come to face a werewolf, don't stop and think about what person it might be in his human form, because this could cost you precious seconds and probably your life. Werewolves are dark creatures and you shouldn't believe anything else, even if you know the person who turns into the wolf.

Now, does any of you have a question? Just shoot ahead, there's nothing you can't ask."

Some moments of silence followed and Remus could tell quite clearly that all of them seemed to have questions they didn't dare to ask. Well, all except from Harry, but that was only because even if he still had questions, which Remus seriously doubted, he would pose them another time, privately.

Dean however seemed to be struggling extremely hard.

"Mr. Thomas, it appears to me that you have a question."

"Well...yes Professor. Erm...have you ever...I mean...bitten somebody?"

Harry inwardly flinched, knowing fully well that this was a very delicate topic for Remus. But Remus only smiled kindly.

"There's nothing wrong with that question Mr. Thomas. And to answer it: no, fortunately I have never bitten somebody. Ever since I myself have been bitten, which happened when I was only five years old, my parents and later your headmaster have made sure that I was locked away safely during full moon nights.

And though during my time at school, I had a tendency to rule breaking and trouble causing, I was lucky and never got close enough to another human being to be a danger for him. Though I have to admit that there were some close calls.

Being a werewolf means also to bear a responsibility. Knowing fully well what being a lycanthrope implies, I take extreme care not to make anybody else suffer from the curse."

"Does it hurt?"

Parvati immediately turned a deep shade of scarlet, as if she had not meant to say that out loud. Again, Remus only smiled at her.

"Yes, Ms. Patil, it hurts. The transformations are extremely painful, and being locked away of course takes away the possibility for the wolf to hunt. In this case, it develops a tendency to hurt itself, which naturally slows down the recovery. I'd like to show you my scar collection, but I'm afraid the show closes at nine."

He smiled at the shocked faces in front of him.

"Oh, snap out of it. I've long come to terms with the implications of that curse for my life, so there really is no reason for you to be embarrassed about it. What I am trying to do here is to show you that on the one hand, somebody who suffers from lycanthropy is a normal person for most of the month. But I have to make you understand that this all changes as soon as the wolf surfaces. Werewolves are amongst the most dangerous dark creatures, and they either kill you or turn you into a dark creature yourself.

And because I know that there are areas, especially in eastern Europe, where quite a few werewolves exist and run free every full moon night, you need to learn how to act when being confronted with one. Which brings me back to where I started: either stun it or, to be on the safe side, kill it."

At that moment, the bell rang the end of the lesson. Remus looked up.

"Well, for next lesson write an essay about the ways to kill a werewolf. Two rolls of parchment, with references. That's all, you can leave now."

Slowly, the Gryffindor sixth years left the classroom, obviously inwardly discussing what they were to make of that unusual lesson. Harry gestured Ron and Hermione to walk ahead and remained in the classroom while Remus collected his things into his bag.

"Do you think that was wise, Remus?"

Remus looked up and gave Harry a questioning look.

"What do you mean? I am supposed to teach you this."

"Remus, I know exactly how much all those prejudices bother you, why do you keep telling us that you are dark and need to be killed? I simply don't understand you."

Remus put down his briefcase, leaned on the edge of his desk and watched Harry with his arms crossed over his chest and a very firm expression on his face.

"Harry, I had thought that you of all people would understand what I said. Do you remember the only time you've seen me transform so far? The night you first met Sirius? Harry, if Sirius had not been there that night, I would have killed Ron, Hermione and you without hesitation, even though I knew you, even though I liked you very much.

I'm not trying to feed any prejudices here, I'm merely trying to make you see the truth. That I am no monster for twenty-nine days a month, but that I am also no human for this one night. And to make you able to defend yourselves, I have to teach you how to kill a werewolf.

You also know how to kill a human being, so why does this bother you so much?"

Harry shook his head.

"It's not the fact that you teach us how to kill a werewolf, it's the way you talk about yourself. As if being a werewolf was...was..."

"A part of my life?" Remus offered. "Because Harry, that's exactly what it is. I of course could try to hide it from the world like I've done for so many years, but to be honest, it didn't lead me anywhere. After everything that has happened to me during the past months, I've learned again to treasure my life and everything that comes along with it. Which includes my lycanthropy.

But I know one thing: I could not live with the knowledge that I have bitten or killed somebody. And to make sure that this doesn't happen, I do not only lock myself away when I am dangerous, but I also teach you how to defend yourself, should ever the need arise.

And Harry - if you ever encounter me again on a full moon and this time Sirius is not there to protect you, I do expect you to use what you have learned. I want you to promise that."

Harry thought for a moment.

"I could never kill you, Remus."

Remus sighed.

"Then you have a serious problem, because I could kill you. Harry, you have to promise me that you'd at least stun me in such a situation. Stun me and then try to get away as fast as possible. Promise me that Harry."

Harry shook his head but finally looked up and sighed.

"Well, I can promise to stun you in such a situation, yes."

Remus nodded.

"Thank you Harry. And now maybe you should try to get to the Great Hall before lunchtime is over."

"Okay. See you on Friday then, bye Remus."

"Bye. Oh, and Harry?"

Harry was already halfway through the door, but turned around again.

"Yes?"

"I nearly forgot. If you want to talk to Sirius, come into my office at three o'clock on Saturday. He said he'd call through the fireplace then."

Suddenly remembering what he had been looking forward to ever since coming back to school, Harry smiled at his friend and teacher.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to miss it, believe me. There's something I bet Sirius would die to know."

Remus raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but Harry only winked and vanished through the door.

'Teenagers', thought Remus as he collected his files back into his briefcase and left the classroom to grab some lunch himself.