An odd feeling came over Celeste as she got ready to leave for Hogwarts on the last day of August.

She thought back to the days where she had to take the train to school on the first day of September, always having the Runaways by her side in doing so as they were ready to take on the year. Of course, it was different this time around as had her trunks being sent off to Hogwarts thanks to Dumbledore's help, preparing to Apparate to the school alone as an adult and the new Healer that would be working alongside Madam Pomfrey. While she was excited to go back, there was still a part of her that wished she was back in France at Beauxbatons, a place where she had been able to get comfortable with. Then again, going back to Hogwarts was almost like going back home, knowing that the school never changed.

But Celeste had changed. The world around her had changed. Everything had changed.

Celeste did one more check around the room she stayed in at the Leaky Cauldron, making sure nothing was left behind. Once everything was clear, she let out a sigh and exited the room, with Philibert already in the hallway with his things.

"Ready to go back to Hogwarts?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Celeste nodded her head. "Oui. Though it does feel weird now that I'm older and not the same girl I was before."

Philibert chuckled a little in response. "I mean, none of us have been the same ever since we graduated."

"That's true," she said. "Still, I never thought I'd go back, especially not under these circumstances."

"Well, I don't think any of us thought everything would turn out like this," he pointed out. "But we might as well go along with it and see if we can get things resolved as quickly as possible. Merlin forbid this gets dragged out forever."

"I highly doubt that," Celeste replied as she smiled a little his way.

The two headed downstairs to check out and grab a small bite to eat before leaving the pub. They didn't stay very long, as Celeste knew she had to get to Hogwarts soon to meet with Dumbledore. While the excitement and anxiety was starting to settle, she looked at Philibert and realized that she was going back to Hogwarts alone this time around, which made her a little bit sad, but she hoped that he would consider getting a job at the Three Broomsticks. It'd be nice for both of them to be close to each other, to have someone nearby that they could go to if they ever needed it.

Once they left the Leaky Cauldron, the two stood in front of the pub, letting the sunlight shine down on them.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," Philibert stated. "You'll be fine without me, right?"

Celeste couldn't help but roll her eyes and grin. "I should be asking you that question." She paused, her face falling a bit. "How much longer are you going to be here in England?"

"Not sure. Couple of weeks, maybe. Hopefully, that'll be enough time to figure out what else is going on with Lia."

"Do you really think you'll find out anything else?" she asked.

While Celeste had concerns about her long-time friend, she knew that Cordelia tended to keep things private for as long as she could. Of course, with being a Malfoy, there was no telling how long it'd be before any more secrets about that family came out. It would just be another target on Cordelia's back that she didn't need.

"I just want to make sure that she's okay," Philibert stated. "I can't imagine the scrutiny she's being put under at the Ministry ever since Sirius' escape from Azkaban."

Celeste raised her eyebrows. "Is there any other reason you're staying in England a little bit longer?"

He rolled his eyes. "I know what you're implying, Celeste, and the answer is no. I wouldn't even know where to start looking for him."

"But you'd figure it out," she said.

He chuckled. "I mean, I was in Ravenclaw House for a reason."

"Well, you can still be a bit daft sometimes."

Scoffing, Philibert shook his head. "I'm going to miss those pleasant comments of yours after you leave."

"Which should be right now, actually," she replied, letting out a sigh. "So what'll be next for you after a couple of weeks?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll come to Scotland and see about getting that job at the Three Broomsticks."

"You better," she retorted playfully, grinning. "But until then, you be careful, yeah? We need to be cautious no matter what."

"I will," he assured her. "Now, you go run that Hospital Wing right and see that you tend to those injured students properly." He paused, his expression turning amused. "Though I know they're going to be in good hands with you there."

With a warm smile, Celeste leaned in and gave Philibert a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Salut, Philibert."

"À bientôt, Celeste," Philibert replied, grinning.

The two gave each other one final wave before Celeste turned around and began to stroll down the sidewalk, her pace picking up once she turned the corner. All she could focus on was the sound of cars driving by and people mumbling to themselves or on their mobile phones as they passed her. Even though she was able to blend in with the Muggles pretty well due to growing up as a half-blood and being able to learn much about them and their lifestyle, she knew wizards and witches with the same background could easily do the same thing.

Her journey to the Portkey suggested by Dumbledore was a bit longer than she anticipated, even with how fast she was walking. It would be like her to arrive at her new job late, but she didn't think Dumbledore would be too mad at her about it, seeing as she never got on his bad side when she was a student at Hogwarts. Maybe he'd let it slide just this one time.

Reaching the checkpoint just at a park nearby, Celeste looked around once more to make sure she wasn't being followed. She quickly made her way into the trees, away from the people walking through, and stopped when she got to the Portkey in the form of an old teapot sitting on a worn out bench. A slight breeze was rustling through the leaves hanging from the branches as it took a moment for her to walk towards the Portkey and slowly lift her hand up to grab it. Once her hand was gripped tightly around the pot, she felt herself spinning around as the green color started to fade away and turned into blue and beige that swirled around for a moment until she finally came to a stop. Celeste was slowly floating towards the ground, her feet moving until she felt her shoes hit the stone bridge. Looking up, she saw the castle in front of her, staring at it in awe. While everything around her was so different now, Hogwarts was an exception as she remembered it exactly the way it was from so many years ago.

Celeste was walking on the bridge that led to the castle. She was enjoying the slight wind picking up when it felt cold all of a sudden, her breath showing up when it escaped her lips. Slowing down, she noticed the way the trees in the distance had ice forming over the wood and leaves, which caused her heart to beat fast the more she became nervous. By the time she spun around, it only took a second before she was met with a Dementor coming her way. Letting out a gasp, Celeste pulled out her wand from her coat pocket and was about to cast a Patronus Charm when a flash of blue light sped past her and hit the dark creature, sending it backwards and out towards the castle grounds.

"Apologies for that, Miss Rhodes." Celeste turned around once again to see Dumbledore walking towards her with his wand in hand. "The Ministry had them placed here for everyone's protection. I assume you understand given the circumstances."

"Yes, of course," she said, nodding her head, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

He gave her a warm smile with open arms. "It's lovely to see you again after all these years."

Celeste smiled back and welcomed his embrace. "It's lovely to see you, too, Headmaster," she said, pulling away. "Thank you for this job as well."

"Hogwarts is pleased to have you back," he stated. "Though I'm sure it was difficult to leave Beauxbatons. You must miss it terribly."

"Yes, I do," she admitted. "France was also a beautiful home for many years." She paused, letting out a sigh. "But I did miss it here. It's nice to be back at Hogwarts again, even under..." Trailing off, Celeste's face fell, her mouth still open, as if more words were going to come out.

"The circumstances are complicated, yes," he stated. "But until there's more news regarding Sirius Black's whereabouts, how about we go inside and discuss your new position over some tea and biscuits?"

With that, Celeste nodded her head and followed Dumbledore towards the castle.

*******

After getting the chance to talk with Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey about the Healer job, Celeste was starting to feel more comfortable with her choice in coming to Hogwarts. She unpacked her trunks in her new room just down the corridor from the Hospital Wing that night, she let out a sigh of content and smiled a little, then took a stroll in the castle and peeked in her old classrooms, thinking everything seemed so much smaller now that she was all grown up, enjoying the memories she made from all of the classes she took as a student. By the time she went to sleep that night, she felt content at being back.

The next day, while professors were preparing for the students to arrive later that evening, Celeste was helping Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing by gathering potions and making up the cots with fresh pillows and sheets. By the time she was finished with checking over everything to make sure the Hospital Wing was ready to go for tomorrow, the cloudy day was turning into a rainy night as it started to pour outside, with thunder booming every once in a while. The rain was hitting against the window in Celeste's room as she looked in the mirror at the maroon dress she had on, smoothing it out. With butterflies in her stomach, she took a deep breath and turned to head out of her room, walking down the corridor and descending the stairs to the ground floor. She wanted to feel more relaxed when she entered the Great Hall and spotted all of her old professors at the long table up front. But all that she got was the sense that it was going to be odd to not only sit up there with the rest of the Hogwarts staff, but that she would be the youngest out of all of them. At least she could go to any of the professors should she need any advice, knowing they'd help her out.

"Miss Rhodes!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, welcoming Celeste with open arms.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," the young woman replied as she was pulled into a warm embrace.

McGonagall pulled away, giving her a smile. "Well, I think it's safe to say that the students here are in safe hands with you and Madam Pomfrey running the Hospital Wing."

Celeste laughed a little in response. "That's very kind of you to say." She paused, glancing behind the professor to see an empty chair near the end of the table. "Is there still one more we're waiting on?"

Turning around, McGonagall looked at the chair. "Oh, yes. Mr. Lupin should be here any minute now. He's taking over as the professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Celeste raised her eyebrows when she heard his name. "I'm sorry, did you say--"

All of a sudden, as McGonagall rushed out of the Great Hall before Celeste could finish her question, the door at the corner of the hall flew open, where a young man stepped inside with water dripping from his hair and coat as he let out a sigh. Taking off his coat, he looked around the room, but he just about froze in place when he locked eyes with Celeste, his smile slowly fading into an expression of surprise.

Merlin's beard, Celeste thought. It's really him.

"Celeste?" he called out, walking towards her.

"Remus," she said, smiling a little his way.

"Merlin's beard!" he exclaimed, letting out a chuckle as he pulled her in for a brief hug. "What're you doing here?"

"I work here now," she explained. "Dumbledore needed a Healer, so he offered me the position." It wasn't a total lie, thinking it was better to avoid the real reason as to why she was at Hogwarts.

"Funnily enough, Dumbledore asked me if I wanted a job here as well," he told her. "He thought teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts would be fitting for me."

"Well, the students will learn a lot from you, that's for sure," Celeste stated, smiling.

Remus smiled back. "I hope so. Anyway, how've you been? I can't even remember the last time I saw you."

"I've been good," she replied, nodding her head. "I was in France for a while."

"Must've been a nice holiday," he stated, chuckling.

"Well, I was living there," she clarified. "For the last eleven years, actually."

"Oh." Remus' eyebrows went up in surprise. "That's..." At a loss for words, he nodded his head and laughed a bit. "That's a long time."

"Yes, it is," she said, having a feeling he was going to make the connection that her departure for France and Sirius' arrest was around the same time. Even though he didn't mention it, she had to assume that he already knew.

Once the rest of the staff began to take their seats at one of the tables. Quickly turning away, she headed for her seat in between Remus and Madam Pomfrey. The sound of the doors caused both of them to focus their attention towards the kids and teenagers in their robes piling inside the Great Hall, with returning students sitting at their respective tables based on their House. A few minutes later, McGonagall entered inside with new students, leading them to the Sorting Hat. During the ceremony, Celeste couldn't help but fix her eyes towards Remus every now and then, trying to be discreet. She saw the way he looked at the new students being sorted into various Houses, grinning and applauding for them as the Sorting Hat made its decision (she also thought his smile was a bit wider whenever a kid was placed into Gryffindor House).

By the time every first year student had been sorted into a House, Celeste finally stopped glancing at Remus as the Frog Choir lined up to prepare a song before the feast. During the performance, she resisted the urge to turn her head towards him again, wondering if he had looked at her at all since they sat down. But her thoughts on that went away once the song was over, applauding with the rest of the Great Hall as Professor Flitwick and the Frog Choir took their seats, with Dumbledore approaching the stand and looking out at the students.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, raising his arms. "Now I'd like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I'd like to introduce our new Healer, who will be working alongside Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing: Healer Celeste Rhodes!"

Surprised, Celeste slowly stood up as the students and staff applauded for her, smiling at everyone before she took her seat again, with Remus beaming at her after the clapping died down.

"Second, I'm also pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

The Great Hall applauded again as Remus stood up and took a bow, with Celeste grinning his way. He took notice of this when he sat back down, returning a small smile towards her. When the clapping stopped, Dumbledore continued on.

"Next, as many of you know from last term, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid!"

More applause echoed throughout the Great Hall as Hagrid, with a little nudge from McGonagall, reluctantly stood up, almost knocking the table over in the process, which caused laughter and cheering from the students. After everything died down again, Dumbledore kept going.

"Finally, on a more describing note, at the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban until such a time Sirius Black captured." While he paused for a moment, students began to whisper to each other in shock, and out of the corner of her eye did Celeste see Remus uncomfortably shift a little in his seat. "The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. Now whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day-to-day activities, a word of caution: Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving."

Taking another pause, Dumbledore looked at the students with a raised eyebrow before continuing. "But you know, happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times." Waving his hand, the flame of one of the candles went out. "If one only remembers to turn on the light." With another wave of his hand, the candle was lit like before.

A chill went down Celeste's spine at his words, and it was all she could think about while the feast was going on. She tried to distract herself by focusing on the food in front of her, looking around the Great Hall every so often. Then, she would turn towards Remus just about every time he would put a fork full of food in his mouth. Still, he'd look her way and smile a little, so she did the same.

"Have you seen any of your friends since you've been back?" he asked, breaking the silence between them.

Celeste nodded in response. "We all met up a few days ago," she said.

"I bet it was nice to see them again," he told her.

"Yes, it was," she muttered. Pausing, she took a sip of water before continuing. "You know, they'd be excited for you to teach here."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Who, the Runaways?"

She gave him a weak smile. "I meant the Marauders."

Remus' face fell. "Oh. Yeah, they would have been very excited."

Her heart sank as she saw a hint of sadness in his face. She couldn't imagine what things were like with him being the most lively and stable Marauder out of him and Sirius (at least, she hoped he was doing well just from talking with him tonight).

The rest of the feast went by quickly, as before anyone knew it, Dumbledore was bidding everyone goodnight and dismissed the students to go to their dormitories for the night. The staff left the Great Hall afterwards, with Remus and Celeste being the last ones in the corridors as they took the stairs to the first floor.

"Well, this is my stop," Celeste stated, then took notice of the way Remus was gazing at her. "What is it?"

Remus merely shrugged in response. "It's, uh...it's just that...you haven't aged a day since the last time I saw you."

She laughed. "Neither have you."

He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure all of the scars make me look older."

Stopping for a moment, her smile faded, seeing the scars on his face from his transformations on a full moon. "I'll have some Wolfsbane Potion ready for you before the next full moon, Remus. I'll keep track so I know when to brew some more."

He shook his head. "You don't have to, Celeste."

"I want to," she protested. "I've done it before. Remember?"

Remus smiled a little. "Yeah, I do. But really, there's no need for you to make it. Severus already agreed to brewing the potion for me. I appreciate the offer, though."

Celeste, a bit surprised by hearing that Severus Snape would be making the potion for Remus, nodded her head. "Oh. Well, the offer still stands with me, just in case."

"Thank you," he said. Pausing for a moment, he let out a sigh. "I think it's best if we get to bed, yeah? We've got a big day tomorrow."

"And I'm sure you'll be sending plenty of students from your class to the Hospital Wing," she retorted jokingly.

"You really think I'd do such a thing on the first day?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," she said.

"We'll see about that." With a grin, he began to walk backwards. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight, Celeste."

She smiled back as he turned around and ascended the staircase, leaving her alone in the corridor. The grin remained on her face as she headed back to her own room, happy that she ended up having at least one friend at Hogwarts she could rely on.

Still, with everything that happened in the last twelve years, she knew Remus Lupin was also no longer the same person he was before.

~~~~~~~

A/N: TRANSLATIONS:

Oui = Yes

Salut = Goodbye

À bientôt, = See you soon

We finally got some Remus and Celeste interaction! What did y'all think? I'm very excited to write more of them!

Comment, vote, more to come soon!

-A