Remus J. Lupin

Husband of Nymphadora Tonks. Son of Hope and Lyall Lupin. Father of Teddy Lupin. Hogwarts professor. Marauder Alive. RP

[remus-sonoflyall]

The Best Birthday Party I Could Never Want

Careful observers may have recognized that last Friday was my 42nd birthday. Now, with Dora home from work (bored to near insanity and somehow both restless and tired), I had no intentions to even mention my birthday. She told me ‘happy birthday’ at breakfast and gave me a kiss-- that was all I expected from the day. However, Teddy heard her and...well...At a certain point in a person’s life (or maybe it’s just me), they lose the desire to celebrate their birthday. That concept is completely beyond the grasp of a toddler when all they associate with birthdays is gifts, cakes, balloons, and totally positive things. When he heard Dora wish me a happy birthday, he began asking, “When your party, Da?” No matter how many times I told him that there was no party, he wouldn’t accept that as the answer.  

After work, I decided to stay late at school so that I could finish off all my work before the weekend. I’m trying to keep my weekends work-free, so that I can spend my time helping Dora or playing with Teddy. So, I owled Harry to see if he could pick Ted up from nursery school.

Little did I know the mistake I had made.

Apparently, Teddy told Harry that it was my birthday and that I had no plans of having a party. Harry decided that he agreed with my son in that this was no way to spend a birthday. Together, they flooed to the Burrow and enlisted Molly in their mission. Molly, never one to decline an opportunity to cook for a celebration, set to work making a big birthday dinner.

I arrived home that evening to find my house filled with delicious smells. Roast with carrots and potatoes, sprouts, and Yorkshire pudding. I’d be hard pressed to remember a time when our home smelled so...fantastic.  When I walked into the parlor, Dora waved to me and offered a cheeky, “Happy birthday, love!” This prompted the other house guests to turn and face me. Molly and Arthur were there, as were Fleur, Bill, Percy, Audrey, George, Angelina (a recent development in the world of celebrity relationships), Ginny, Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Harry (with Teddy on his back). “What do you think of your party, Professor?” Harry asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders and resembling his father more than he would ever know. “Well,” I said, “It’s certainly...a surprise.” From his place on his godfather’s shoulders, Teddy chirped, “It was mine and Harry’s idea, Da!” I rubbed my chin, fighting a smile, “Of course it was.” “Yeah,” Harry continued, “Teddy was worried that you wouldn’t get a proper birthday celebration. We couldn’t have that.” Before I had a chance to speak, Molly made her way through the crowd. “Happy birthday, Remus, dear,” she said, patting my forearms, “Now, come along. We should eat before the roast gets too cold.”

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.”

[remus-sonoflyall]

Halfway There

Dora is the most fiercely stubborn woman to ever walk the face of this Earth.

Not that I didn’t know that already, but she just continues to astound me.

She is now 22 weeks pregnant with twins. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen 22 weeks pregnant with twins, but it is...rather large. Everyone at St. Mungo’s told her that it would be best for her to be on bed rest by 23 weeks. They repeated that when we visited the hospital on Monday for her check-up. I’ve told her that, Andromeda’s told her that, Molly’s told her that, even Kingsley told her that she should go home. You know Dora, though, she simply cannot sit still. The idea of being forced to stay at home makes her miserable. It would drive her mad. How very much like Sirius she is...which isn’t really a good thing in this regard. She insists that she can still work as long as she stays at her desk doing paperwork, but that’s almost torture to her. Watching her coworkers leave on assignments that she’s better trained for (or that she would just enjoy), frustrates her so much. I’ve told her that she would be happier at home. That Harry and Neville could bring her work so that she wouldn’t be too bored. She won’t hear it. I have almost decided that the only way we will be able to enforce bed rest will be by having the head of the auror office bar the doors so that Dora physically cannot go to work.

Now, on the nice side of things. According to the scans and such during the last check up, the babies are each about the size of a papaya now. Papayas aren’t something that I’m very familiar with, so when I stopped by the market yesterday, I took notice of the produce. While looking at the papayas, I was dumbstruck; I cannot believe that the babies are already that big! It seems like it was barely any time ago that Dora told me she was pregnant, now we’re about halfway to having our twins.

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.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Sorry that I haven’t posted on my blog in a long time, but things have been pretty busy around the Lupin household. Just after Valentine’s Day, Teddy came down with some sort of virus. With Dora’s current condition, little bear was put into a makeshift quarantine. That meant that I had to take on a bit more around the house. Take my word for it, there’s no easy way to explain to a sick and grumpy three-year-old that Mummy can’t tuck him into bed. After Ted was back up and well, it was only about one week until Dora went to full desk duty. For the past few weeks, she had been leading training exercises, but then they pulled her from that. Now she’s working on reorganizing and transcribing old files as well as checking evidence logs. Obviously, if you know my wife, you know that this was not something that went over well. Frustration and depression doesn’t even begin to cover how she felt over the next few days.  So, these past few weeks have been really busy around here. I apologize for not being around to post.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Valentine’s Day

After Andromeda had taken Teddy for the evening, Dora went to our room to get ready for the evening. I was, for the most part, ready, but I had no idea what our actual plans for the night were to be. “Dora?” I called, walking into the bedroom, finding her grumbling about one of her favorite maternity dresses not fitting as well as she remembered. I walked over to her and helped her adjust the garment and looked her over, “You look beautiful.” She rolled her eyes, “You’re just saying that.” I feigned insult, “I would never!” Dora only laughed.

“So,” I said, “what are the plans for tonight.” She looked at me in surprise, “You mean that you don’t have the whole evening planned out to the minute?” Shaking my head, I said, “I thought I’d let you pick some things. Go with the flow, you know.” Dora smiled, “It isn’t driving you insane to not have everything planned out?” I smoothed my shirt, a bit neurotically, “No. No, of course not.” It was a bit...well, I do usually like to have plans. Especially for a night like this. A well-made plan leaves less room for things to go wrong. “When do we leave?” she asked. “Whenever you’re ready.” “And where are we going?” “Dinner.” “What are we having?” “Whatever you’d like.” She gave a wide smile before standing on her toes to kiss me, “You really are winging it, aren’t you?”

Dora turned and walked into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the night. As she did, she called over her shoulder, “I think I’d like Chinese tonight.” “Chinese?” I said, definitely surprised by her choice, “Doesn’t seem very traditional, does it?” “Blame your children!” she called back. All I could do was laugh.

Dinner was lovely. We managed to find a place that wasn’t very crowded at all. One of the many reasons that I love my wife is that she values good food over fancy ambiance. Which is good, because the place we dined was little more than a counter and a few well-worn tables. The food was excellent, though. Very satisfying. The restaurant looked like the type of place where one might find themselves after a night of hard drinking; the food would have certainly have been just the thing on a night like that, though.  I however, managed to refrain from imbibing. It just didn’t seem fair for me to enjoy any alcohol while Dora was unable to do the same.

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.

[remus-sonoflyall]

In case anyone is wondering why I haven't written about Dora and my Valentine's Day...

We haven't had it yet. Tuesdays and toddlers can rather complicate matters, so we're celebrating on Saturday. We'll be sending Teddy off to Andromeda's for the night and going to Glasgow for a nice meal.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Watching the Moon Together

Yesterday afternoon when I arrived at the Shack, I found a note along with a clock. Usually, if Dora leaves me anything, it’s a piece of meat or a large pillow; she’d never left a clock. Rather than puzzling over it, I picked up the note to read it. It was, of course, from my wife and read:

Remus, You know how Teddy’s been learning about the stars and moon and such in nursery? One of his teachers mentioned that there was to be an eclipse tonight and, when I was getting him ready for school this morning, he begged to get to see it. He wanted to know if you would get to see the eclipse with us and I told him that you couldn’t, which disappointed him. The thought of you missing the eclipse was really bothering him, so I said that you could see it from where you are and would let us know that you’re watching the moon, too. I hope to wake him up around midnight and take him out to see the moon (even though I don’t think it’s going to be much of an eclipse). If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, do you think that you could go to the window around half past midnight and give a howl? That way Teddy will know that you’re watching the eclipse, too? Dora

I very nearly cried. The older he became, the more things in his life I would miss due to my condition. I’d never be able to watch an eclipse with my son or my other children. It did make me smile, however, knowing that Teddy’s concern was that I would miss the eclipse. He’s so young, but he has such a kind heart– so much like his mother.

So, night fell and I transformed, yelping and howling in pain as I always do, but once I had settled, I turned to the clock. I watched the hours count down to the designated time and, just before 12.30, I padded over to the window nearest our house, nosed it open just a little, and howled. It was a long, loud, strong howl. Then I paused for a moment and gave a second, shorter howl. After taking the potion, I didn’t howl often. Keeping your human mind made howling seem a bit…foolish, but I thought of this as a song for my son. Letting him know that I was here, that I was okay, that I loved him. After howling, I looked to the moon. Dora was right, the eclipse was not the most impressive I had seen. Then I padded back to my bedding and curled up to sleep for the night.

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.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Harry Potter and the Names of My Children (I know, I know, I couldn’t resist)

I had a lunchtime visitor in my office on Monday. “Mind if I have a moment, Professor?” he asked and it took me back to my first attempt at teaching. Harry. I nodded and gestured for him to come in and pushed aside the bit of lunch I had swiped from the kitchens earlier. “No need to stop eating on my account,” Harry said as he took a seat near my desk, then continued with a cheeky grin, “Mrs. Weasley says you still look as though you don’t eat enough.” I scoffed, “Molly shouldn’t worry. I look like this no matter how much I eat.” Harry just smiled with a look that seemed to indicate Molly worried over his weight just as often as she did mine. “So, Harry,” I said, retrieving a chip from my plate, “what brings you to my office?” He looked unsure of what he was going to say much, a look that seemed as out of place on Harry’s face as it would have his father’s. They were usually the types that spoke before they thought, so this must be something of importance.  I raised my eyebrows and nodded, urging him to just say whatever it was. “Tonks told me about the names you’re giving the babies,” he finally said.

I’m sure I looked rather confused. I was rather confused. That didn’t seem like something he would have to think about before saying. “What do you think?” I asked, hoping to ascertain the purpose of his discomfort. “They’re brilliant,” Harry said with a smile, “Have you told Professor McGonagall yet?” Now it was my time to squirm, “Er...no. Not yet.” Harry smirked. I shook my head, “Rejoicing in my discomfort? You’re spending too much time with my wife.” He laughed.  “What do you think of the boy’s name?” I asked, thinking that this might be more relevant to why Harry was in my office. With a smile, he said, “It’s fantastic. Can you imagine Mad-Eye in the afterlife? He’d be so proud when he heard that Tonks was going to name a son after him, but then just being absolutely livid when he learns that the kid’s first name is going to be ‘Sirius’?” I chuckled a little. “I keep imagining Sirius’s reaction to finding out that the son I promised to name after him...after a bit of drinking, mind you, will have the middle name ‘Alastor.’ I can almost hear him now shouting, ‘Moony! You can’t name the child after me and that old nutter! His name should be something regal and dignified, like ‘Sirius Orion Sirius Black Lupin.’” “Dad’s probably too busy laughing his arse off at them both to say anything.” “That sounds highly possible,” I said, smiling at Harry’s growing understanding of the Marauders’ dynamic.

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.” 

[remus-sonoflyall]

Get to Know Me Questionnaire (Nymphadora’s idea)

I actually had some free time tonight and Dora was looking for excuses to not work on some stuff she brought home, so she was rather insistent that I fill this out (and even more insistent that she be allowed to watch me fill this out and interject her own opinion as “necessary”). If you’re interested in knowing anything more about me, feel free to continue reading. Otherwise, have a good evening! (questionnaire source)

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

[remus-sonoflyall]

Gatsby

Dora brought a young black kitten home from work last week (you may recall the photos) and he took instantly to Teddy. Suddenly, they were completely inseparable-- the kitten slept in Teddy’s bed, sat under Teddy’s chair at every meal, and followed our son around like a shadow.  Problem is that he had been doing all of this without a name. Teddy offered many names...er...well, rather, names may not be the correct term. It was really just...words. Absolutely random words. Just whatever Teddy thought of at the moment. So, finally, Dora told me that I needed to come up with names for the kitten. Don’t know why it had to be me that named the cat, but so be it. I narrowed it down to a list of three names that walked the fine line of not being too academic nor too childish and presented them to my wife and son. After days of deliberation, I am pleased to announce that the kitten now has a name: Ladies and gentlemen, the Lupin family cat shall henceforth be known as Gatsby.

[remus-sonoflyall]

[remus-sonoflyall]

Baby Names

When I returned from getting Teddy to sleep, I found Dora sitting on the couch with a notebook. We had told him the news over dinner tonight and he had spent the rest of the night in an excited frenzy. It seemed he was constantly bouncing around the house with the little black kitten right at his heels. I couldn’t help but think that whatever my wife was up to would probably leave me wishing all I had to deal with was a hyperactive toddler. Dora’s questions would probably be much more difficult to answer. She had a Biro (which, when at home, she much prefers to a quill) in her hand and was tapping it against her chin.  I sat in an armchair near her and considered picking up a book I had been reading, but decided that I should just leap in head-first. “What are you thinking about?” I asked Dora. She looked up at me and stopped tapping the pen on her jaw, “Huh?” “You,” I said, giving her a quizzical look, “you’re clearly thinking about something.” She sighed, looking at the blank paper in front of her, “Baby names.”

“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.

[remus-sonoflyall]

When I arrived home this afternoon, there was a cake on the table with a note from Molly congratulating us.  After dinner, we cut into the cake and...Molly never fails to impress.

Teal and pink sponge. How fantastic and festive.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Why My Wife is Both Fantastic and Dangerous

My beautiful, wonderful, clever, trouble-making, honorary Marauder wife found a clever way to tell the world the gender of the babies. I can’t help but think that her cousin would have been proud because it was definitely a trick right out of the book of Sirius.

She charmed this

to follow me wherever I went, scattering this

As well as this 

to follow me and scatter this

wherever I went. It was lovely. The little confetti bits went everywhere, which is a bit of a problem when you need to use the loo... Also a bit of a problem when the Headmistress asks why you’re being followed by such a strange thing and you, the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, have to explain that you cannot figure out how to stop the charmed balloons. 

She also sent envelopes to Molly, her mother, and anyone else she thought might care. In the envelopes was a letter explaining that our twins are to be one of either sex, but I don’t know that anyone made it that far before fainting. You see, she charmed the envelopes to, upon being opened, sound party horns and shoot this

all over the reader.

I love this woman.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Meeting Dora for lunch and then heading to St. Mungo's for the appointment.

[remus-sonoflyall]

Do You Want a Brother or a Sister?

Tomorrow’s the big day. Dora’s appointment. The day we get to find out what the genders of the babies are.

At dinner tonight, while Teddy smashed his carrots into oblivion, Dora asked him, “Are you ready to know if you’re having sisters or brothers, Ted?” He looked up from his mashing and studied his mother, “Is baby coming soon?” I leaned my head on my hand, bemusedly waiting to see how my wife would explain this one to the young boy.

“Er,” she began, gears turning behind her eyes, “no. No, the babies aren’t coming soon. But tomorrow we’ll get to learn if they’re boys or girls.” Teddy tilted his head to one side, thinking over what his mother had told him. She looked at me, hoping I would spring in to save the conversation. For a brief moment, I considered just smirking and letting her continue to flounder; then, however, I remembered how much more comfortable the bed was compared to the couch and decided to help. “Would you like brothers or sisters, Teddy?” I asked, turning to my son. He thought for a moment, playing with his thoroughly mashed carrots, “My friends are boys.” “So, would you like to have brothers?” Teddy’s eyebrows narrowed in thought, “Artie has a brother and they have to share toys.” “Well, yes, you would have to share your toys with a brother,” I said, shrugging. As if weighing his options, Teddy then offered, “Linc has a sister and she got new toys, so he doesn’t have to share.” I scratched the back of my neck, “Well, you’d probably have to share your toys with a sister, too.” Teddy scowled; the flaws in his method of deciding were frustrating him. “Maybe,” Dora offered, “you’ll have one of each, that way you’ll have the best of both.” “Sister and a brother?” Teddy said, leaning back in his chair, contemplating the concept.

Teddy continued thinking while his mother and I finished our meal. Finally, he spoke again, “What you want, Da?” “What what do I want?” I asked, not knowing that my son was still pondering the mystery of his new siblings. “Babies.” “Ah, right. Babies,” I said, scratching my chin in thought, “Well, I suppose I’d like at least one of them to be a girl.” “Why you want girl?” Teddy asked, looking confused. I shrugged, “Well, having a baby girl is a different experience than having a baby boy. I’d like to know what both are like.” The young boy frowned before turning to his mother, “What you want, Mumma?” Dora tapped her finger against her jaw for a moment, thinking, then said, “I don’t really know.” “You don’t?” he asked, looking surprised. “Teddy, you know it is perfectly alright to not be sure if you want a brother or a sister?” I asked. “It is?” he questioned me. I nodded, “Of course it is. It’s also fine to want both.” He thought over what I said before announcing, “I want both.”

So, I guess we’ll know tomorrow. 

[remus-sonoflyall]

We have narrowed down the cat’s possible name

We have narrowed it down to three possible names, these are:

ATLAS

GATSBY

LANCELOT

What do you think?

[remus-sonoflyall]

My wife. Brought home. A cat.

It is currently nameless and Teddy’s new best friend.

[remus-sonoflyall]

The cat still has no official name. Dora spent most of this afternoon trying to convince Teddy that we couldn’t name the cat after whatever the first word he thought of might be. So far, that eliminates: Sandwich, Toaster, Door, Race Car, and Turtle.

I was thinking something from literature. Dora has also told me that it needs a name that children can pronounce and that isn’t too “professorish.”

It’s a fine line we’re walking.