Remus J. Lupin

Following dinner was a large chocolate cake and ice cream. Tea, coffee, and conversation continued on for more than an hour after that.  Finally, our final guest (Harry, if you could imagine) decided that they had best leave us to our rest (five months pregnant/two days before the full moon/three years old, we need all the rest we can get) and bid us adieu. While Dora tried to make herself comfortable in our room (a task growing more difficult by the week), I took our son to bed. After tucking him in, placing a soft kiss to his forehead, and shutting off the light, I heard his sleepy voice ask, “You liked your party, Da?” I chuckled, “I loved it, Ted.”

She’s so frustrated with me because I can’t keep my hands off of her belly. I can feel the babies moving and it never ceases to amaze me. Teddy felt them, too. The look on his face when we told him that the wiggles and bumps he was feeling was the movement of his little brother and sister...well, his hair flashed from the brown colour he had been wearing to a bright teal. Now Dora has to swat him away almost as much as she does me.

However, even without chemical assistance, somehow Dora managed to get me into a club for a little bit of dancing. Well, she danced; I’m all limbs, so my “dancing” is more...awkward movement. The point is that the evening was wonderful. I don’t know that it was what you might call ‘conventionally romantic,’ but it suited us.  Two people who got married in an unplanned ceremony outside of a pub. Unconventional is becoming a bit...conventional for us.

This morning, Dora told me her side of the night.  At midnight, she went into Teddy’s room and shook him awake.  “Mumma?” She smiled and nodded. “Why you in here?” he asked, eyes barely open. “You wanted to see the eclipse, remember?” she asked.  His eyes opened a bit wider and he began sitting up.  She bundled him up in warm clothes and they walked out into the garden. He looked up at the moon while she pointed out what was different about the moon tonight. “Is Da watching?” he asked her.  She checked her watch and grinned, “Why don’t you ask him?” Teddy gave her a strange look and she nodded, “Just ask. Like he was right here beside us. He’ll hear.” He looked skeptical, but did as he was told, “Do you see the moon, Da?” Just then, a howl sounded loud and clear through the air.  Dora looked at Teddy and said, “Did you hear that?” “Dog,” he said nodding. She shook her head, “That wasn’t a dog, silly bear. That was your dad letting you know he was watching.” His eyes widened, “Really?!” “Really,” she said,nodding.  Another howl sounded and he looked at her, “What did he say?” Stifling a yawn, she said, “I believe that was him saying ‘Good night.’” “Night, Da!” he shouted in the direction of the howl. Dora pointed up to a particularly bright star and said, “Say good night to Uncle Sirius.” Teddy waved up at the star and chirped, “Night, Unka Sirius!” He yawned and rested his head against his mother’s shoulder. She pat his back and said, “Alright, back to bed, champ.” The two made their way back into the house and to bed.

Harry sobered just a little and said, “Speaking of. Tonks told me what you said about my dad’s name. Saving it for me to use for my kids.” My smile fell a bit and I wasn’t sure what I expected Harry’s reaction to be. Hell, I didn’t expect Harry to know-- not that I was upset at Dora, it just...wasn’t something I thought about. I nodded. He nodded, “I really...I appreciate that, Professor.” I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to call me ‘Professor,’ but I couldn’t quite find my tongue. “It’s never really been a question for me,” he continued, “if I had a son or a daughter, I’d name them James or Lily. I never even thought that maybe you’d want to do the same. I mean, you were such good friends. I just...lived so long without knowing anything about them...it seems weird sometimes to know people who knew my parents.” I nodded, thinking about what he had said. Thinking about how far he had come over the past 10 years. Softly, I spoke, “Sirius, James, and Lily were the closest friends I had for the majority of my life. I never thought that I would be able to have children, so I certainly never thought that I could honour them by naming a child for them. When we were in school, Sirius made me promise to name a son for him. There was never a question in his mind-- I would grow up and fall in love and marry and have, as he put it, ‘a litter of werepups.’ When Teddy was born, it was just too important that we honour Dora’s father. I mean...it certainly takes precedence over my childhood friends. However, now, getting a second chance, I knew I had to make good on my promise to Sirius.” “Well, then,” Harry said after a moment of thought, “I’ll be sure to name my son James rather than Sirius. The world couldn’t handle two of either of them.” 

1. What is you middle name? John 2. How old are you? 41 3. What is your birthday? 10 March 1975 4. What is your zodiac sign? Pisces  5. What is your favorite color? Do I really have one? Okay, okay, Dora says I do. She says that it’s blue. (Between you and me, I also have a soft spot for bubblegum pink.) 6. What's your lucky number? I don’t know that I really have one. Maybe 3? 7. Do you have any pets? Gatsby the little black kitten my wife dragged home. 8. Where are you from? Blackpool, England 9. How tall are you? 6′2″/188 cm 10. What shoe size are you? 14 U.S./48 Euro 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Maybe 6? 12. What was your last dream about? I can only recall that I was in a field of some kind 13. What talents do you have? I like to think that I’m a decent teacher. Not sure what else constitutes being a skill. 14. Are you psychic in any way? Not in the slightest.  15. Favorite song? Right now? That’s a difficult question. It changes rather frequently, but right now it’s probably ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ 16. Favorite movie? It has been far too long since I watched a movie. As a child, I remember my mother watching 101 Dalmatians with me over and over again. I don’t know that I have a less...childish answer. 17. Who would be your ideal partner? I’m rather pleased with my life. No matter how many strange noises she’s making over my shoulder. 18. Do you want children? I have one and two more on the way. I’m quite happy with their existence. Thought I was a bit concerned about having them (read: was a total git and ran out on my loving and beautiful wife) That’s quite enough, Nymphadora. 19. Do you want a church wedding? We didn’t have one and I think it suited us just fine. Sometimes I do wish we could have had something with a bit more pomp, but...let’s be honest, Dora and I aren’t exactly the “pomp” types. 20. Are you religious? A bit theist or deist, I would say. 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Many, many, many times. 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? I’m a Marauder, member of the Order of the Phoenix, and a werewolf. The law has files on me. Not to mention the fact that my wife is a law enforcement officer, so not doing the dishes is enough to get me in trouble with the law. 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I suppose Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the like are probably all celebrities now, aren’t they? Oh Merlin, am I a celebrity? 24. Baths or showers? Showers. Not that there’s anything wrong with a bath and I do enjoy them from time to time, I just typically take showers. 25. What color socks are you wearing? Grey. A very drab, boring, matching grey, says my wife who is wearing one green and blue spotted sock and one red and purple striped sock. 26. Have you ever been famous? I suppose I might be...maybe infamous is a better word. 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? No. I rather prefer my privacy. 28. What type of music do you like? All manner. Jazz, blues, soul, punk (mostly the milder stuff, according to Dora), grunge, and rock. 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Yes. Sirius and James were involved...and judging from the look on her face, I never told Dora. 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two? Three? 31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my side. Dora says that I’m a “sleep cuddler.” 32. How big is your house? Uhh...I mean...not terribly large. There’s a lounge, a small dining room, the kitchen, a few bathrooms, our room, Teddy’s room, the nursery, and the room that is currently an office but will one day be a twin’s bedroom. So...it’s a fairly good size, I suppose. 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Toast and jam, maybe an egg. 34. Have you ever fired a gun? Can’t say that I have 35. Have you ever tried archery? I don’t...think so. 36. Favorite clean word? I don’t know that I have one. 37. Favorite swear word? Dora says that my most used curse word is “damn.” She also tells me that I’m boring. 38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? Several days. 39. Do you have any scars? Many. Many many. 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? My wife? 41. Are you a good liar? Depends on what’s on the line. I can’t lie to my wife at all. 42. Are you a good judge of character? I think so. 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Not really. 44. Do you have a strong accent? Do I? Dora’s laughing. 45. What is your favorite accent? I’m going to be a good husband and say that my wife’s is my favorite. 46. What is your personality type? INFJ or ENFJ. It really depends on the day. 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably the dress robes Andromeda gave me for Christmas. 48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie. What an odd question. 50. Left or right handed? Right handed 51. Are you scared of spiders? Not particularly  52. Favorite food? I’m a big fan of chocolate. Also steak. 53. Favorite foreign food? I don’t know that I have just one. I love so many foods. We had tacos tonight that Dora brought home and they were wonderful. 54. Are you a clean or messy person? Fairly clean. My wife says that I’m too neat. 55. Most used phrase? No idea. My wife says that “Teddy wait!” may be one of them. 56. Most used word? Again, I have no answer. Dora says “No.” 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Not very long. Less than an hour? 58. Do you have much of an ego? I don’t think so.  59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Er....suck? 60. Do you talk to yourself? Rather often. 61. Do you sing to yourself? Less often. 62. Are you a good singer? I don’t think so. Dora says she likes it, but is not saying whether or not it’s good. 63. Biggest Fear? Something happening to my family. 64. Are you a gossip? Not really. 65. Best dramatic movie you've seen? I don’t know. I can’t even think of one right now. 66. Do you like long or short hair? Short, I think. 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? I think so. 68. Favorite school subject? Defence Against the Dark Arts 69. Extrovert or Introvert? Depends on the context 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No 71. What makes you nervous? The full moon 72. Are you scared of the dark? No 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I try not to (But you do) 74. Are you ticklish? Er....(he is) 75. Have you ever started a rumor? I don’t think I have, personally. 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? I’m a teacher, so...yes. 77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes 78. Have you ever done drugs? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyes....I think I may have blown Dora’s mind. 79. Who was your first real crush? Hm...I don’t know. Probably someone at Hogwarts. 80. How many piercings do you have? Two. Same ear. Don’t wear them anymore though. 81. Can you roll your Rs? Not really. 82. How fast can you type? Not as fast as I would like 83. How fast can you run? Not as fast as I once could (though I was never very fast) 84. What color is your hair? Brown with a bit of grey, unfortunately. My wife says it’s “dignified” 85. What color are your eyes? Blueish-greenish-greyish 86. What are you allergic to? Nothing 87. Do you keep a journal? Not really 88. What did your parents do? My mother was a secretary and my father was a dark creature specialist. 89. Do you like your age? It’s fine 90. What makes you angry? Injustice 91. Do you like your own name? Yes, rather. 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? The ones I gave to my children. 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? By the end of July, I will have two sons and a daughter. I’m very happy. 94. What are you strengths? Empathy, compassion, consideration. 95. What are your weaknesses? Stubborn, self-deprecating, unsure of myself 96. How did you get your name? My father rather enjoyed Roman mythology, my maternal grandfather’s name was John. 97. Were your ancestors royalty? No 98. Do you have any scars? This is a repeat! Many scars. 99. Color of your bedspread? Brown 100. Color of your room? Blue

“Ahh,” I said, leaning back in the chair.  She sat the notebook on the arm of the couch and I noticed that she had divided it into two columns with the word ‘BOY’ at the top of one and ‘GIRL’ at the top of the second.  “Do you have any ideas?” she asked, looking at me with big brown eyes that could have made me walk off a cliff if she asked. “Wh-? Ah. Er. No,” I stumbled, “No, I don’t think that I do.” Dora groaned, hanging her head, “Neither do I.” “Well,” I said, actually thinking now, “you had mentioned naming a daughter after my mother. I mean, if you still want to. That’s just something you said earlier...A...start, you know?” Her head shot up and she reached for the notebook, managing only to knock it into the floor.  “Here, let me,” I said, picking up the paper and taking the Biro from her. I then wrote ‘Hope’ in the girl column. “So, that’s one girl name,” I said, looking back at her, “why don’t we try to think of one boy name?” She nodded and began thinking, “Well, we named Teddy after my dad and you, so...that’s that covered.” “Right,” I said, “the three year old asleep in the other room is already named.” Dora swatted at me and I jumped back a bit, chuckling. “Don’t be an arse, Lupin,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “What about Alastor?” I offered. She stopped mid-swat and looked at me, “For...for Mad-Eye.” “He did train you,” I shrugged.  Dora sat back on the couch, “More than train me, he...I mean...we’d have never met if not for Mad-Eye.” Sensing that she was growing a bit emotional (something she would surely blame on the pregnancy hormones), I reached over and put a comforting hand on her arm. “Not so much of an arse now, am I?” I teased with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and brushed off my hand. “Alastor’s good. He’d like that, I think,” Dora said.  With her decision, I wrote ‘Alastor’ in the boy name column. “What about your friends?” she asked. I shook my head, “What about them?” “You lost so many in the war. Wouldn’t you...I mean, you were so close. Shouldn’t we--” “I suspect that Harry intends to name a son after James,” I shrugged, “I mean, that could be a while, but I wouldn’t feel right using that name before his own son gets a chance.” “What about Sirius?” she offered. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sirius?” “Yeah. I mean, he was your best mate and my favourite cousin, seems right doesn’t it?” she reasoned. For a moment, I just stopped to think. It did seem right. Sirius was a big part in both of our lives, not to mention our life as a couple. Moody may have brought Dora into the Order, but it was Sirius who actually introduced us. Sirius was the one who encouraged me to spend time with Dora. It was fitting. I nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, Sirius would be a good name.” I wrote ‘Sirius’ as the second name in the boys column. “I don’t know about other girl names, though,” Dora said, rubbing her chin. “Am I to assume that ‘Nymphadora’ is off the table?” “’Nymphadora’ is so far off the table that it’s unaware that a table even exists,” she said with a glare. “What about ‘Andromeda’?” I asked. She shook her head, “Nothing against Mum, but that’s...I mean...her family and all. Not to mention that it’s just so damn formal. Can you imagine taking a little ‘Andromeda’ to nursery?” Shaking my head and going back to thinking, I said, “What about Molly?” “She has so many children,” Dora said, frowning, “It’s almost like Harry and James, you know? I’d love to honour her by giving her name to our daughter, but...” “I understand,” I said, crossing my right leg over my left one and balancing the notebook atop my knee, “I’m sure Molly would understand as well.” “Oh!” Dora said, springing up, “What about Professor McGonagall? She’s such a badass. I mean, a war hero, headmistress, took on Merlin knows how many Death Eaters, who wouldn’t want to be named after her?” I scratched my jar, thinking, “She doesn’t have any children, either, so...not really any competition for naming.” Nodding, I wrote the name ‘Minerva’ in the girl name column. “Is that it then?” she asked, looking at the list, “Have we named our kids?” Looking at the list, there was a pair of male names and a pair of female names. “Well,” I said, shrugging, “we have names. We don’t have to decide on the names for sure just yet.” Absentmindedly, she rubbed her barely-showing belly, “I like these names, though...I mean, if you do.” I nodded, looking at the list, “What order, do you think?” Without a second thought, she said, “Hope Minerva.” Smiling, I said, “That didn’t take much time.” “I told you,” Dora said, “I wanted to name our daughter for your mother.” Nodding, I offered, “Then how about Sirius Alastor?” “I like it,” my wife said with a nod, “Do you think they’ll like it?” “It’s a fair bit better than ‘Nymphadora,’” I said, with a wink. “Cheeky git,” she said, swatting at my foot.  I turned to a blank page in the notebook and wrote two names in script before turning the book around to allow Dora to read it. She did so aloud, “Sirius Alastor Lupin and Hope Minerva Lupin.” My stomach did little flips both times she read the word ‘Lupin.’ No matter how many times I hear it or read it, it still makes me feel giddy to realize that I’m actually a father. I wondered if that was something that every other dad felt. “I love them,” Dora said, smiling broadly.

I love this woman.

So, I guess we’ll know tomorrow.