âWeâve always had some things in common,â Theo said, deliberately leaving the sentence vague. After all, We both witnessed our mothersâ deaths in tragic accidents at a young age was a little more personal information than Theo was willing to give Harry. âI owled her a few years ago with questions about a subfossil Iâd found. I wasnât certain what kind of creature it was from, but I thought she might know. Sheâs become quite the naturalist since leaving school. She was able to identify it, and weâve kept in touch since, albeit rather sporadically.â
Some finds were easy to classify. A winged horse was a winged horse, straightforward and obvious, even if the specific breed couldnât be determined from the skeletal remains. Others, like the bones of what had turned out to be a grindylow, were more puzzling.
Glancing back at Harry, she said, âI liked Professor Lupin. I know Draco liked to mock him for being shabby, but he was the best Defense teacher we ever had. And he never treated me badly for being in Slytherin. He used to let me do my homework in his office sometimes, when the prefects were in Hogsmeade and the common room was too noisy. I was disappointed when he resigned.â
Remus Lupinâs teaching style hadnât just made an impact on Harry. It had made an impact on Theo, too, and she had plans for hands-on activities in her own classes. One of the reasons sheâd spent all that time studying archaeology at the Muggle university in Cardiff was because archaeology was a way to find tangible evidence of the past. It was history that you could touch.
âIâm trying to plan assignments that are more interactive and engaging,â she said. âI want to make the students think. Binns merely made us memorize names and dates and regurgitate them on command. But thatâs not really learning. You can memorize all the names and dates in the world and still not understand any of the historical dynamics or events. So Iâm going to focus on the word why, instead of when or who.â
She smiled and added, âI think my favorite assignment so far is one Iâll be giving my Fifth Years, to catch them up on what the missed with Binns. Iâm giving them a list of one hundred notable figures from the past century, and the students have to create a seating arrangement for a dinner party with ten people at ten tables â one that wonât result in shouting or bloodshed. Iâm less interested in whom they seat where than I am in their reasoning for their decisions.â
It occurred to Harry how little he had kept in touch with people from school as she spoke. Aside from Hermione, Ron, and Luna, he tended to avoid most people from those years. What had ever happened to Neville Longbottom? Or even more obscurely, Ernie or Pansy? He only really kept track of the ones he interacted with at the ministry. âHmm, interesting. So what were you doing in the interim; I assume it related to history.â After all, he got his position because heâd actually been in the field and by the sound of her fossils, so had she.
Harryâs gaze fell to his tea at the mention of Remus. He missed the man desperately and did all he could to check in with Teddy. He didnât really want to explain to her that he was more family than mentor to him. âYes well, resigned is the tactful word for it,â he replied, smacking his lips in faint irritation with Draco even after all these years. âHe was a werewolf, if you didnât know. Clearly, the Malfoys didnât appreciate that. I wonder if weâll ever overcome such a ridiculous prejudice. He was an honorable man,â he said as flatly as he could despite the emotion stirring in his chest. He had quickly remembered why he rarely chose to play catch up with people.
Luckily, she didnât dwell too long on their departed professor. The excitement he felt hearing her ideas surprised him. âHistorical dynamics? I barely remember the names and dates. When was that thing with the giants again?â He asked, half joking. History had been, by far, the hardest subject to engage at Hogwarts. Even Hermione bordered on sleeping during the lectures.Â
Harry laughed at the simplicity of the assignment. Yet it sounded very engaging. He almost wanted to take a stab at himself. âThat sounds fascinating!â He replied honestly. âI certainly wouldnât have the slightest idea how to do that.â There was a reason he hadnât even considered trying for a history N.E.W.T. and he couldnât help wondering if she had. âYou might focus on those patterns of discrimination and dangerous behavior while youâre at it,â he suggested. The one thing he learned about wizarding history was that, just like muggle history, it tended to repeat itself.