(Untitled)

[furry_lil_prblm]

The fourth term of the school was due to start very soon, which meant Remus had been at the school more often lately, getting things ready. With some input from the other teachers and a bit of brainstorming, he'd changed the structure some to make things more comprehensive, so that they now had a core curriculum from which to work. He'd had plenty

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[polly_okeefe]

As I wandered around the school, all nerves, I spotted Remus, reading. Serene could be the only word that could describe his face. I smiled as I approached. "You appear very calm," I said.

[furry_lil_prblm]

"Pleased," Remus said, looking up. "I suppose you've heard by now of the island's yearly tradition of giving us all gifts?"

[polly_okeefe]

"I've had the bad and the good," I said, nodding ruefully at my bandaged foot. "I have a set of antique books back at my hut, in a variety of languages. They're proving to be an exciting challenge to translate. I'm learning the folklore of the Isle of Man in its original language."

[furry_lil_prblm]

Remus was reminded at Polly's words of Ancient Runes, a class he'd rather enjoyed. "That does sound like a challenge," he agreed. "An interesting one, at that."

He turned back to the bookcase and held up the slip of paper. "These books are my gift. Two hundred paperback novels."

[wizard_alive]

"Remus?" She'd heard the 'Good God', and while she talked to the other wizard intermittantly, she'd certainly want to help him if - heaven forbid - something was wrong.

But no, he was reading a book, standing next to a bookshelf that made Nita's mouth drop open. "... Are those-" Books. They were books, and they weren't the obscure, bizarre mishmash of things in other languages and that'd been published in 2083 or anything like that. They were books.

"Are they yours?" Her voice had lowered automatically, the way it would in a library.

[furry_lil_prblm]

Remus picked up the paper and held it up so Nita could see it. "Apparently, they are. Two hundred. I was curious enough to count."

[wizard_alive]

Nita's brows rose, and she grinned. "Oh, that's awesome." She'd read most of them - not all of them, but most. "Man, this... I mean, and knowing that they're not going to disappear or turn into a bunch of car maintenance books from 1952 or something, that's got to be good."

"How've you been," she asked after a second of just staring at the books in awe.

[furry_lil_prblm]

"It certainly is," Remus agreed with a laugh. He'd taken his share of books from the bookshelf, mainly for use at the school, but he didn't think he'd have wanted to undertake the chore of trying to liberate two hundred at once.

"I'm well," he replied. "Getting things ready for the new term. Yourself?"

[dammitjames]

"You aren't going to start wanking on it, are you, Moony?" James asked as he walked into the room. He moved closer to Remus to see what the Good God fuss was all about. James wasn't completely uncultured, but he also couldn't have been more disinterested in the vast array of literature in front of him. "Because, if you are," he continued, setting a hand to Remus' shoulder, "I'll just excuse myself and give you some alone time with your busty bookcase."

[furry_lil_prblm]

"Wanker," Remus replied, though he was smiling. "This happens to be my gift this year from the island, and I'm very well pleased with it, but certainly not to that degree, git."

[dammitjames]

Leave it to Moony, always destined to be the good one. James took a certain amount of comfort and pride in knowing that nothing, not even an enchanted, werewolf-power-stripping, age-accelerating tropical island could change his friend. "This ought to keep you busy for a while," he remarked, content. "You'll have to try out my dune car some time, though." He refused to use the word buggy.

[furry_lil_prblm]

"Oh, for some weeks, at least," Remus agreed jokingly. "I may indeed. At least it remains firmly on the ground, unlike a broom." Remus had never actually refused to fly a broom, but he much preferred other modes of transportation.

[backup_hero]

Neville hadn't seen the bookcase before either, for the obvious reason that it hadn't been there. Though Remus was already standing near it, they were in the school so Neville did not think it would be too intrusive if he went to investigate it as well.

"Is this new for this term?" he asked.

[furry_lil_prblm]

"It's my gift from the island," Remus explained, still smiling as he held up the paper for Neville to see. "It will certainly be well utilized at the school, I'm sure."

[backup_hero]

Neville studied some of the titles, frowning a little. "I haven't read any of these," he finally admitted. "They're all Muggle books."

[furry_lil_prblm]

Remus nodded. "They are," he confirmed. "All classics, I believe. I've not read them all myself." Even as a half-blood, Remus only had a partial knowledge of the Muggle world, or at least less than a Muggleborn.

[permanentlypink]

Tonks walked into the school with Teddy in tow, looking for Remus. Before she even had a chance to open her mouth upon seeing him there, Teddy squealed, "Daddy!" and started wiggling in her arms.

[furry_lil_prblm]

Remus looked up at the sound of his son's voice and smiled. Slipping the book back into its spot - they were conveniently in alphabetical order - on the shelf, he reached over and took Teddy from his wife. "I've just discovered my gift for this year," he said, after leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

[permanentlypink]

Tonks smiled brightly at him and her eyes lit up even more when she saw all the books. "Oh look, dear one!" she enthused to Teddy, who was busy playing with one of the buttons on Remus' shirt. "Just look at all the reading you can do!" She ruffled his hair and added, "I bet you can't wait until your daddy teaches you to read."

[furry_lil_prblm]

"Well, Daddy is certainly looking forward to it," Remus replied with a fond smile for both son and wife. "Though I think we may have to wait just a bit longer to tackle books like these."