Chapter 735: Epilogue: Lupin

“Can you tell me why you’re here?”

A short male wizard sat restrainedly in a chair. “I came here on Wolfmann’s recommendation. He said you are a very wise man, who runs the largest multinational corporation in the world, and the most trusted person of that gentleman; more than that, you are still, still …”

He stole a quick peek at the person across the table with his eyes.

“Still one of your kind.” Lupin added. “Yes, yes.” The man said. Lupin looked kindly at the short male wizard, they are meeting for the first time, but a familiar feeling welled up in him, perhaps it was due to the other man wearing a torn and patched robe, cloak and scarf in which he wrapped himself, with a sickly complexion, interspersed with white hair and eyes full of insecurity. How similar he was to him back then.

“Mr. Lupin,” the man gained a bit more assurance from Lupin’s gentle eyes, and spoke much more smoothly, “I have been living isolated from the community, living in the wilderness for more than ten years, and only recently I heard from a group of explorers about what is going on out there, it’s incredible, it’s like a dream for people like us who are on the edge …” he spoke and explained everything very quickly.

When he finished, Lupin gave him a brief pause to catch his breath, then nodded approvingly and said.

“I’ve seen a lot of cases similar to yours, they all came in with a belly full of worry and sorrow, probably with the most helpless look ever, overwhelmed by the changes in the world, but after a period of communication, they left contentedly to start a new life. As far as I know, they’re living quite well now.”

“That’s right!” The man said hurriedly, his eyes revealing his hope, “Wolfmann said the same thing! He said that you have a very good way to make werewolves reborn.”

Lupin laughed.

“I don’t remember having any miraculous way to make a werewolf reborn which I must keep secret. I did isolate some practical techniques derived from werewolf transformation magic, which I pretty much handed out to every single werewolf community to facilitate their mutual support and learning; I also founded the Werewolf Rights Association, where you can receive a monthly wolfsbane potion for very little money as long as you follow the rules and regulations stated there; by the way, the association is currently training its own potioneers, and we have mastered the production methods of four of the seven types of wolfsbane potions. These benefits are open to everyone, and you don’t need to meet me to get them.”

The man looked at Lupin blankly, looking confused, and he couldn’t help but lean his body forward slightly and ask tentatively, “But I guess there must be something special about you, right? Why else do all the werewolves respect you? Uh, well, you totally deserve respect just for being on top of most people, but the ‘respect’ I am talking about is very different, I can sense the difference.”

“Oh,” Lupin smiled lightly, “I feel honoured by your belief. I do have some stories and a few suggestions that might help you fit in better in the outside world, but in the final analysis, there is nothing special. On the contrary … I would love to hear your story.”

When Tonks came in from outside she just happened to see Lupin and the male wizard coming out of the study, and just as it had happened countless times before, the strange visitor walked with ease on his feet, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Lupin handed the man a business card.

“You can contact Miss Temple, she will settle you down properly, there is no doubt in her ability to carry out her task.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lupin, thank you so much.” The male wizard said gratefully as he looked over to Tonks who approached him, “You must be Mrs. Lupin, right? A lonely person like me has been told about the love story between the two of you, how enviable, Mrs. Lupin seems to be a kind-hearted person just from the first glance …”

“I kind of found out,” when the male wizard left, Tonks raised an eyebrow and said, “the comments I get from your side of the friends all carry a ‘kind heart’ as if I’m with you because of kind heart! ”

“I know. It’s because of love.” Lupin said seriously, “But love is a luxury in the eyes of other werewolves, let alone having such a beautiful, intelligent witch as a wife.”

Tonks grunted twice in delight.

Lupin opened his arms and held her as he had done at the wedding eleven years ago, without a single change. He felt content with what he has now – a smart and considerate wife, a healthy and active son (without any werewolf features, other than the transformation brought by Metamorphmagus ability he inherited from his mother), a godson (Harry’s young son Albus), a bunch of relatives and friends, a respectable career and social status, there is nothing more to complain about.

He felt incredibly glad that he accepted Dumbledore’s offer.

Because since then, he has been constantly getting many good things. His heart felt incredibly fulfilled, which is why he still has the energy to do something for his kind over these years – both in terms of the Werewolf Rights Society and simplifying werewolf transformation magic, as well as in terms of the almost once-a-week conversations in the study.

Every year over the past decade, werewolves have found the courage to emerge from the mountains, the jungles, and the wilderness to observe the unfamiliar surroundings with timid and wary hearts. And as probably the most famous werewolf in the world, Lupin has helped and reassured countless people.

The warm moment didn’t last long as a ten-year-old boy came running in with a breeze, stomping on the stairs with a thud. Lupin and Tonks exchanged glances and looked at their child.

“Dad, Mum, Sirius asked me to check when you’re going over there!” Teddy Lupin shouted.

“Right now,” Tonks glared, “if you didn’t have disrupted our conversation.”

“But if I didn’t make a sound, you guys surely would be hugging each other without a break!” Teddy called out.

Tonks pouted, her eyes darting up and down at the little boy as if she was finding a fault.

“What’s wrong with your hair?”

Teddy’s hair shone fiery red dazzlingly, different from the ginger colour he had at breakfast. But he had inherited his mother’s ability to change his appearance at will, which naturally included adjusting his hair colour, so his mother’s words were akin to picking a fight. He shook his head smugly, “I met a little redhead girl, a silly one, and I told her I am a relative of the Weasleys!”

Tonks and Lupin looked at each other.

“What was that little girl’s name?”

“It wouldn’t be Rosalie, would it?”

“How could it be?” Teddy had an incredulous look on his face, “Sirius brought her to our house to visit a few times at least once in half a month, and on the other hand, we met her at Godfather Harry’s house-”

“Is it Victoria?” Lupin asked.

Teddy thought hard for a while and said slowly, “I think that’s the name.”

“Gosh,” Tonks said, “that’s Bill and Fleur’s kid, you guys used to play together when you were kids.”

Ten minutes later, when Lupin came out of the living room, he saw Tonks and Teddy, mother and son, staring wide-eyed at each other in the hallway, their hair changing colour like a traffic light. This is Tonks’s speciality, but Teddy is no slouch either, as its being the first skill he learned after birth, even before he uttered his first word.

Lupin leaned on the windowsill, incredibly content to appreciate the scene. After another ten minutes, Teddy was defeated, his hair reluctantly settled on black. In contrast, Tonks looked smug.

“Let’s go.” She said gleefully.

The sun was shining outside, the hotel was packed with tourists, and they made their way to the third-floor ballroom. At the entrance, deafening music could be heard even before they entered. Lupin was a little stunned, and an uneasy feeling arose in his heart, which was confirmed in the next second.

Sirius was singing happily on stage, holding a guitar in his hand, dressed in a hippy outfit; behind him was Bill, his fingers brushing the keyboard like a flowing river, his ponytail swaying from side to side, the small flapping earrings on his ears appearing and disappearing; Rolf’s drum beat was obviously a bit out of rhythm as if he was in a hurry, and Lupin guessed that if he had come a bit earlier, he would not be the one sitting in that seat, and it was more likely for him to hold a saxophone; Neville looked around with saxophone as if he had bought a standing ticket to the stage.

Lupin suddenly had the impulse to close his eyes.

It is a Sirius band with the name ‘Furry Boys Band’. To make the matter even more unfortunate, he came to realize that he too had become a member of the band (forcibly). Even the name of the band was chosen by Sirius to tease him about his new nickname ‘Furry King’.

The audience offstage wore a wide range of expressions. The performers’ family members all looked like they wanted to laugh, except for Luna, who perhaps genuinely enjoyed it, her head nodding along to the rhythm as she held a bird with rainbow feathers in both arms; the Weasley family sitting together with focused expressions, Ginny desperately holding back the boy, James, trying to stop his growing desire to perform; Mrs. Weasley and Fleur simultaneously staring at Bill’s flopping ponytail, but Lupin dared to bet that the two were thinking very different things – it was written all over their faces! Severus sat in the corner, his mouth slightly open; the pot-bellied Slughorn beside him chatted smilingly with Draco and Astoria; the students Sirius had taught whistled enthusiastically at the next table.

“To be fair, it isn’t that bad.” Mad-Eye Moody near the door, asked in a jarring voice, “What are they singing?”

“A great victory.” Lupin subconsciously blurted.

“That’s right, that’s it.” Moody laughed and hummed along with the melody, with his hoarse voice as a contrast, Lupin could also hear the beauty of Sirius’s singing voice.

When Harry, the organizer of the party, appeared and saw the crowd singing in chorus, Sirius and Bill’s stage play got even rougher, leaving him a little baffled. Does his own godfather really have a talent for singing? Didn’t Amelia say that only Kreacher had complimented him?

Harry interpreted that as ‘unprincipled flattery’, like if he had asked Dobby, he would definitely think he had a wonderful singing voice.

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