Chapter 52: 3-9: Dogfather

Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

The weeks rolled on, and life at Hogwarts managed to remain at its own bizarre version of normal - no possessed teachers, ancient giant killer snakes, or soul-sucking demons. Just hundreds of teens and preteens learning to rewrite the laws of reality with wooden sticks and bad Latin.

By the time May rolled around, every member of S.E.N. had started to show their own strengths and weaknesses to at least some degree, at least from Iruka's training; Filius wasn't at nearly as many meetings, so even with their official Defense classes, their magical combat was still developing. Luna was physically the most flexible, had exceptional chakra control, was just ahead of Hermione as the best at first-aid, and showed intermittent bouts of truly remarkable situational awareness (though she still tended to get distracted or lost in thought). Harry's speed and agility were clearly the best of the group, though Ginny was managing a solid second place, and likewise his skill at taijutsu. Neville was easily the most physically powerful, and his once-poor stamina had recently surpassed even Harry's, though he remained the slowest member. Hermione's chakra control was quite good, as were her mental discipline and fuuinjutsu, but her chakra capacity was a bit low and her taijutsu more average. Ginny's late start meant that she was playing catch-up, leaving her chakra capacity and control at the back of the pack, but her active childhood (and dealing with rowdy older brothers) meant that she was already doing well in taijutsu and agility, and she'd shown a definite knack for accurate shurikenjutsu.

On the magical front, Harry and Luna had both managed to conjure a corporeal Patronus, a stag and a dolphin respectively. Now they worked to cast them quickly and reliably and to maintain them for longer, while the other three could manage misty shields that sometimes tried to coalesce into vague shapes.

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After the past two years, it was sadly unsurprising that something happened in mid-June that would guarantee the departure of Hogwarts' Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"It's probably for the best," Remus said resignedly. "We knew it was unlikely that I'd be able to stick around, and I was honestly more than a little worried that circumstances would somehow conspire to have me biting a student at the full moon. There'd have been no recovering from that, even with Sirius freed; I would have been left with the choice of either going on the run or turning myself in for execution. At least this way I'm only losing my job - not an unfamiliar experience - rather than my head, and nobody else is hurt by it."

Albus had predicted that Rita Skeeter would find a way to strike back within the terms of their arrangement, and she'd proven him right. Her article in the Prophet - WEREWOLF IN HOGWARTS! - was still written for sensationalism, but unlike much of her previous work that Iruka had seen, it was also based solidly in fact and even presented or referenced evidence to back up its claims. While nowhere near the journalistic level of some of the better Muggle papers Iruka had read on occasion, it was at least a modest improvement upon her usual style.

"I'd say the students are hurt by it," Iruka retorted, "unless Albus can pull off the miracle of recruiting two competent Defense teachers in a row. I understand pickings are more than a little slim these days, and you were an exception rather than the rule."

"I'll make sure to leave a set of notes, lesson plans, and recommended textbooks, just in case the next teacher needs or wants a bit of help."

"You're really not going to fight this?"

Remus sighed, his shoulders slumping. "There wouldn't be much point, I'm afraid. Influential as Albus is, even he would be hard-pressed to avoid sacking me, and trying could well see the Board of Governors ousting him as well. Even if he succeeded it would be costly, and with the threat we know is still lurking out there he can ill-afford to spend so much political capital on a risky prospect. By announcing that I'll be leaving at the end of term, I satisfy those who hate and fear werewolves, and by not making Albus choose between shielding and sacking me, I save him from most of the ire from both sides."

"Besides," the werewolf continued, "with Sirius freed, he'll need some help getting back into the swing of things. He also owled me as soon as he heard I was resigning, begging for my help in clearing out his family's old house: The Black family were mostly as dark as their name, or darker, and that much Dark magic in one place over that amount of time has lasting effects. Throw in years of neglect, and it's quite likely that more than a few nasty creatures have shown up and made themselves at home. Fortunately for Padfoot, he happens to know someone that's an expert on dealing with Dark creatures, eh?" This last bit was said with a wry smile that didn't quite manage to reach his eyes.

"Just take care of yourself," Iruka said firmly, "and try and keep Black out of too much trouble. Harry's finally gotten some strong links to his parents, and I don't want either of you disappearing on him."

"I'll try my best, though keeping Sirius out of trouble is likely to be about as manageable as doing the same for Harry." Remus gave Iruka a dry look for a moment before relenting. "Truly, though, I'm coming out of this reasonably well. Teacher's pay isn't a lot, as you know, but it's been more and for longer than I can usually manage, and I've not had to buy food for over nine months; I've been able to put aside a fair amount of money that should last me quite a while even if I don't find much work. Sirius will probably insist on trying to pay me for helping him, and while I think I've closed off all the loopholes that he and James used to use to sneak me payment for things in the past it wouldn't surprise me if he figures out some new trick."

"Oh!" The departing Defense Professor snapped his fingers. "I've just remembered, Sirius also said that once the house is cleared, we should be able to look through the Black family library. With a bit of luck, we'll manage to find enough of the missing spells to be able to at least partially recreate the Marauder's Map. We don't have James to handle his part, but we are both fully-qualified wizards instead of schoolboys, and with Filius and Albus lending their own talents there's a good chance we'll be able to make something usable."

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On the revelations in the Prophet, opinions among the student body varied widely: The largest and most vocal group was, unfortunately, those that were heavily prejudiced against werewolves. Defense classes which had previously had an air of fun were now fraught with tension, as once-eager students now sat as far from their Professor as they could manage while still attending class. More problematically, in some cases bigotry overrode fear, leaving students unwilling to recognize Remus's authority. While the quiet man refused to react to their open disrespect, Iruka had no such qualms and every house saw a sudden drop in their House Points, Slytherin unsurprisingly suffering the most thanks in part to a certain thick-headed blonde and his entourage. The worst offenders even had to attend detentions when they really needed the time for last-minute revision for their exams. Several other faculty members, including three of the four Heads of House, soon followed Iruka's example and cracked down on those students unwilling to respect their teacher.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were students that couldn't care less about the Defense Professor's lycanthropy. Some, such as S.E.N. and a fair number of Hufflepuffs, saw the person rather than the disease. Others, mostly Ravenclaws and Fifth- and Seventh-years, would have been fine with a dragon for a professor if the class was sufficiently informative and prepared them well for their exams. There were even a group of mostly Muggle-born students that simply didn't see what the big deal was, or even thought werewolves were 'cool'.

In between the two extremes were a range of attitudes, from the nervous and uncertain to the confused to the simply apathetic. While there was a significant amount of support among the students for Remus, it was nowhere near enough to have a chance of saving his job. Whispers could soon be heard wondering who the next Defense Professor would be, and what would in turn drive them from the castle. Rumors ran from Sirius Black (chased out by an escaped Dementor) to Sybil Trelawney (scared away by something in her tea leaves) to Merlin himself (crumbling to dust after abruptly remembering he's supposed to be dead). The Weasley Twins had already started taking bets.

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Thankfully the only notable event during the remainder of term was exams, before the students once more left for home on board the Hogwarts Express. A few days later, Iruka found himself back at St. Mungo's, this time accompanying Harry and the Grangers towards Sirius Black's room.

Iruka could only imagine the riot of thoughts and emotions that were probably bouncing around his student's head right now, though anxiety was obviously at the forefront. Between that, anticipation, and a sort of tentative hope, Harry was filled with enough nervous energy to power a small town. He was finally about to meet the man he'd been corresponding with for months, his father's best friend, the man that had he not been wrongfully imprisoned would have been the one to raise Harry; he seemed unable to decide whether he was eager to rush forward or to call the whole meeting off.

The Grangers were there at both parties' requests, Harry wanting the support and Black wanting to meet the people caring for his godson, while Iruka's presence was mostly Harry's idea. It was indescribably gratifying that a student held him in such high regard.

Harry's hand paused just as he was about to knock on the room's door. "Just remember," Wendell said reassuringly, "he's as afraid of you as you are of him." Iruka had to assume that this was some sort of reference he was missing, as the other four shared a round of giggles that broke the tension quite effectively. After his knock was answered by a "Come in!" from inside the room, Harry opened the door and led his party in.

Sirius Black was certainly looking much better than the last time Iruka had seen him (not a difficult feat, admittedly): His wild, matted hair had been tamed into a shoulder-length mane that straddled the border between wavy and curly, and like virtually everything else in the hospital he was thoroughly clean. His beard had been likewise washed and groomed. Features that had previously been gaunt and bordering on skeletal had filled in significantly, though Black's frame remained quite thin; rebuilding muscle mass was one of the more long-term aspects of the healing. Where before his complexion had been deathly pale and his skin badly weatherbeaten, it was now a much healthier shade, though like the familiar werewolf standing beside him he looked prematurely aged by at least a decade. His expression largely mirrored that of his godson, showing a maelstrom of different emotions fighting for control, though there was also a brief flash of a somewhat manic glint in his eyes.

"Harry?" His voice was soft, hesitant, before his face broke in to a broad grin and he opened his arms wide, shouting "Harry!" The young teen flinched slightly, and Remus put a calming hand on Black's shoulder. "Sorry about that, pup," the recovering ex-prisoner said in a more subdued tone, "I guess I still need some more work on the whole 'normal interaction' thing, huh?"

Remus snorted. "I've been saying that since First Year, Padfoot. Still, at least you're not licking his face or- I probably shouldn't continue that line of thought with children present..."

At the looks of confusion and worry worn by several of his visitors, Black's grin turned mischievous. Suddenly, where there had been a man in a hospital gown there was instead an enormous black wolfhound seated on the bed, tongue lolling out and head tilted playfully to one side. After a couple of happy barks, he shifted back.

"There are so many puns," Wendell muttered, prompting an eye-roll from his wife.

"He's made them all," Remus responded, completely deadpan. "Frequently."

Black gave his friend a put-upon look before turning back to his other visitors. "Now that the peanut gallery's had their say, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Sirius Black, Padfoot of the Marauders, and dogfather to Harry here. This, for those that haven't met him, is Moony, also known as Remus Lupin, one of my first and closest friends."

"Wendell Granger, my wife Monica, and our daughter Hermione."

"And I'm Umino Iruka - I mentioned in our letters about name order in my country? - a pleasure to meet you properly."

Their 'host' nodded to each person in turn with a friendly smile, before his expression became more serious, "First off, I wanted to personally thank you, Professor Umino, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, for all you've done for my godson. Also, you don't have to worry about me trying to take custody of Harry: Even if I was fit to care for a child, and had a decent place to live ready, you've still got a better track record than me when it comes to doing what's right by him. That night, instead of taking care of my orphaned godson like I should have, I went off half-cast on a mad quest for revenge; it cost me dearly, and worse it cost Harry."

"What I will do," he continued, "is make sure you're all covered legally and financially as best I can. I understand you're not exactly hurting for money, but it seems I've inherited a fair amount from my family." Black grinned darkly. "Given how much my mad harpy of a mother and the rest hated Muggles and Muggle-born, I can't think of any better use for their gold than paying for the Hogwarts supplies of a Muggle-born student."

Both Granger parents looked distinctly uncomfortable, though Hermione's mind was clearly lost in an imagined shopping spree at Flourish and Blotts. "That's, well," Wendell said, "as amusing as that thought is, you really don't need to do that. Harry's no trouble at all, he's been wonderful to have around, and you're welcome to visit once you're well enough."

"I'm sure you don't need it," the wizard replied, "but I need to do something, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. I failed in my responsibilities," his expression swung back to morose, "and it cost Harry so much, so much..." he trailed off into silence for a moment before shaking himself like a wet dog and regathering his thoughts. "Obviously, I can't undo what's been done, but what I can do is everything possible to make sure my godson has a bright future and thank you lot for taking care of him. To that end," he said with a mischievous smile as he reached over to a nightstand, retrieving a bulging envelope, "I have here tickets for the four of you, the Professor, and Moony here for box seats at the Quidditch World Cup final match. It's going to be right here in England this year - quite the opportunity, eh? I wish I could go with you all, but the Healers say I'll be stuck here for another few months at least, so you'll just have to tell me all about it, right Harry?" The teen in question nodded eagerly with a broad grin on his face.

"With all that serious bol- er, stuff out of the way," Black hastily changed his chosen phrasing at a combined glare from Remus and Hermione, "we can talk about fun things! I've been saving this little story to tell you in person, since a letter just wouldn't do it justice. It was back in Fourth Year - Moony wasn't there, it was just James and me - and James had just come up with another of his little plans to ask Lily out..."

Soon enough even the straight-laced Hermione was holding her sides with laughter. "So there we are, striped magenta and teal from head to toe and wearing bikinis, and Lily just gets up in our faces and says, 'And if I ever catch you degenerates trying to sneak into the girls' dorms again, I'm going to get creative.' It took Madam Pomfrey three hours to fix us up, and we never did figure out how Lily turned that prank around on us. Your mum was a terrifying witch, Harry - utterly brilliant and an amazing person, but still terrifying. Now, let's hear about some of the trouble you've gotten into, the good stuff you wouldn't put into your letters."

The two teens looked at each other in thought, shooting glances at their parents and Iruka. They'd all agreed before coming that until Black was in a stable mental state, they couldn't risk sharing the truth about S.E.N. with him. Still, that didn't eliminate all of their stories. "Well," Harry finally replied, "I guess I haven't told you exactly how I ended up on the Gryffindor Quidditch team..."

A/N: Yes, Luna's Patronus is different from canon. Having someone show up at the worst moment of your life thus far and save your mother's life is the kind of thing that affects a person, I'd say.

Leave a review with your own suggested rumors for who might end up teaching Defense and why they'd leave - I'll try and collect them to post in an A/N or Omake.

Fic Recommendation: "Force Interrupt" by Right What Is Wrong - a bunch of mostly-disconnected one-shots of Potterverse characters applying logic and/or having it applied to them.

Posted 24 February 2019

Current WIP Chapter: 71