"You've resigned?"
"I have," Lupin said calmly as he emptied his desk. "The students are all now aware of my problem. I assume Albus will be hounded with owls over the next few days from concerned parents who do not want their children to be taught by a werewolf."
"Do you hold Harry responsible?" Severus asked bluntly, needing to know where Lupin stood on his opinion of Potter in order to know if he could proceed with the course he decided on the moment he was told Lupin was resigning.
"I don't, I think this was Harry's way of getting back at me for the boggart," Lupin said thoughtfully, echoing Severus' exact thoughts he had the moment he heard what had happened. "He's certainly something, isn't he?"
"He is," Severus agreed carefully. "I doubt if he was aware that sharing your secret would lead to your resignation though."
Lupin smiled an amused smile, apparently well aware that Severus was lying through his teeth. Draco had informed Severus what happened. Potter blew apart the trunk Lupin had cleverly used to test the students against the boggart which then revealed his fear to the entirety of the third year students. Severus privately believed Lupin was lucky that Potter chose to take the spotlight off himself by outing Lupin instead of immediately inspiring a new level of fear amongst the students by ending his life.
Perhaps Potter was maturing.
"His classmates saw something he wanted to keep a secret, and he blamed me. So he told them something about me that I wanted to keep a secret. And not a single student mentioned Harry's boggart after he left and instead whispered about lycanthropy. It was rather well done. He's quite the Slytherin," Lupin said, still sounding inappropriately cheerful considering the conversation. "And the damage is done. Plus Harry's... well... Harry has bigger problems to deal with than me being unemployed, doesn't he?"
"He does," Severus agreed. "Which is what I hoped to speak with you about."
"Oh?" Lupin snapped his briefcase shut and gave Severus an interested look. "Let's hear it then."
"How would you like to pursue a new career?" Severus asked carefully. "I am unsure what all you know of the muggle field of psychology-"
"Severus, I was physically attacked and turned in to a monster when I was seven, my mother was a muggleborn nurse in a hospital treating soldiers from the muggle war, and I'm partners with a Black," Lupin said with a grim smile. "I know quite a bit."
"Excellent," Severus said. "Then my question for you is- how would you like to pursue a career as the first Wixen Mind Healer?"
When Severus left Lupin's office nearly an hour later, he felt a small sense of satisfaction. The moment he was informed that Lupin had resigned, thanks entirely to Potter's retaliatory actions, he had what he hoped would prove to be an ingenious idea.
Lupin was an ideal candidate for a Mind Healer. He had a strong sense of emotional empathy for others, he had more patience than Severus would ever hope to have himself, and, thanks to his muggleborn mother, he had intimate knowledge of how to proceed in the muggle world in order to acquire the necessary education. The fact that Lupin also was raised by a pureblooded father and would be able to keenly utilize his magical inheritance to acquire this education and training much faster than muggles did was an undeniable asset as well.
Severus' savings took a small blow, but Lupin had seemed much more interested and eager for this than Severus had initially hoped. Which wasn't truly surprising. Despite the fact that Lupin was a werewolf the man always had the aptitude of a Healer. Or, perhaps, that was thanks to Lupin's disease that he felt a strong pull towards the suffering of others.
Regardless. All Severus had to do now was convince Potter to willingly spend time with Lupin alone after Lupin finished his crash course in psychology over the summer. Lupin had pointed out that he believed that would be a challenge, especially considering that Potter had just forced his resignation, but Severus did not see it as one.
He had a plan.
He would encourage Potter to spend time with his godfather and Lupin over the summer and, with a small amount of luck, Potter would hopefully come to be drawn in by Lupin's irksome ability to be liked by most people.
Personally, Severus did not believe that Albus would be flooded with owls demanding Lupin's resignation. Lupin apparently held himself in very low esteem. Although Severus disliked the man, for good reason, he was in the minority when it came to the opinion of their previous classmates and current fellow staff. Albus would certainly receive owls from some parents, particularly the ones who had never met Lupin, demanding he be fired for his disease. But Severus was sure that there would be just as many, if not more, letters defending Lupin's place amongst the Hogwarts staff.
He failed to share this sentiment with Lupin, seeing as his resignation helped Severus immensely.
Severus stopped by his office before making his way to the final feast of the year and was only mildly surprised to see Potter waiting outside his door.
"The seventh years have officially graduated, yeah?" Potter asked immediately.
"They have," Severus confirmed as he strode past Potter to store the research he shared with Lupin back in his desk. "May I ask why you are asking?"
"Here-" Potter thrust a parchment towards Severus with a nervous look of anticipation. "Will you think about it?"
Severus quirked a brow at his ward but dutifully unrolled the parchment, praying to Merlin it was not the ownership of another legendary beast that Potter killed without Severus' knowledge.
Harry J. Potter's Application for Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain
"What in blazes is this?" Severus chuckled as he read through the muggle-like application that listed Potter's apparently numerous reasons why he believes he should be made team captain.
"It's an application." Potter's voice was hesitant but he had a determined set to his jaw. "Mione said that's how you apply for jobs, and I wanna apply. I want to be team captain now that Flint's gone."
Severus looked Potter over carefully before rolling the parchment up and sticking it in his pocket, "As you should be. The position is yours."
Potter staggered backwards and looked up at Severus with wide eyes.
"Really?" he breathed.
"Of course," Severus agreed easily. "You have proven your dedication to the team, you are a talented flier, and, if your application is to be believed, you have went out of your way to learn additional positions in case you are needed to fill them during matches while keeping your grades at a top level. I also believe you paid for the teams Nimbus 2001's without seeking any recognition for the charitable act, which is further proof of your determination to win. The captaincy is yours."
Potter did earn the position for all the reasons Severus listed, but also Severus had never in his entire career been handed an application and a direct request for an appointment to the captaincy. He typically had just chosen the oldest student with the highest grades in the past.
"Brill," Potter smiled the new smile that Severus was beginning to adjust to. It was not as bright as his previous genuine smiles had been, nor as energetic as his mania driven ones were, but still showed the joy he was currently feeling.
"Thank you sir," Potter said happily. "You won't regret it."
"I am quite sure I will at some point," Severus smirked. "You have a knack for making me rethink every decision I have ever made."
"You're welcome then," Potter said in the drawling tone he adopted from either Draco or Severus himself.
Severus chuckled lightly at Potter's pure arrogance.
"Hey who told you I paid for those brooms?" Potter suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing in newfound irritation.
"Nobody," Severus said truthfully. "I simply saw the brooms, narrowed it down to the only players who could afford such an outrageous purchase, and assumed if Draco had done it that every Slytherin in the castle would be well aware of the act. I presume that Flint refused to let the Boy-Who-Lived try out without the bribe?"
Potter was well-respected, and incredibly feared, by his housemates now. But it was respect and fear that was won mostly through his consistent determination to duel every available student and through gratuitous usage of his image of the Heir of Slytherin. Which he had not had during his second year tryouts.
"Nope," Potter said with a sharp grin. "Well, kinda. Draco told him if he didn't put me on the team after he saw me fly that he'd buy him a new broom, didn't he? But then I earned my spot fair and square. So when the chasers were trying out I told Flint that if he put Draco on the team then I'd buy brooms for the whole lot."
Potter puffed his chest out proudly and Severus was struck with a newfound sense of respect for his ward.
"That was quite kind of you," Severus said genuinely. "Though I'm sure Draco was horrified to learn that his position was purchased instead of earned."
"He doesn't know, does he? I told Flint I'd kill him in his sleep if he said a word to anyone." Potter laughed, which was rather chilling considering Severus fully believed he would have killed Flint without hesitation had he informed Draco of Potter's purchase, before raising his brows at Severus. "And you better not tell him either. He's practiced nonstop to be the best chaser on the team, hasn't he?"
"Your generosity and loyalty to your friends is a secret safe with me." Severus rolled his eyes but looked at Potter fondly. "Will you be flooing home with me after the train leaves or from the platform tomorrow?"
"You don't wanna fight over me riding the train?" Potter asked. "Thought you might cause of Pettigrew."
Severus snorted, amused that Potter anticipated another argument over his preferred method of travel.
"Black is a madman who trained to be a Hit Wizard before his incarceration," Severus said. "Pettigrew is an incompetent moron who chose to hide for 12 years as a rat as opposed to killing you himself in service to the Dark Lord, despite his many opportunities to do so. The only concern I have if the man is foolish enough to confront you is making sure Lucius is prepared to adequately defend you at your trial."
"That's what I thought too. Not about getting arrested, cause I wouldn't, but about Pettigrew," Potter said with a pleased look in his eyes. "I was thinking that if he had killed me in my sleep or something he could have recruited all Timmy's followers to his side and been the new Dark Lord but he's too stupid for that, ain't he?"
"It worries me that you have put that much thought in to how a person may replace the Dark Lord," Severus said frankly.
Potter laughed and gave Severus a crooked grin.
"Don't be daft," he said. "'M gonna be the Minister of Magic. I don't think I'll have time to be a 'Dark Lord' on the side."
Severus was not reassured by that line of thought and prayed to Merlin, God, and the spirit of Lily Evans that Albus never overhears Potter state that the only thing preventing him from replacing Voldemort himself is the conflict it would hold with his plans of running the Ministry of Magic.
"Go eat with your misfits," Severus said, choosing not to comment on Potter's plans to take over Wixen Britain. "I will see you at home tomorrow evening."
"'Kay," Potter said easily. "I've got a brill surprise for ya when I get back tomorrow."
Severus groaned the moment the door closed behind Potter and summoned an entire case of pain relieving potions.
Any surprise that Potter believed would be 'brill' would doubtlessly give Severus a migraine and it would be best to be prepared.
It was not until Severus watched Potter and his friends celebrate during the leaving feast that he was struck with both a pleasant, and horrifying, realization;
For the first time since Potter started Hogwarts, he had managed to go an entire year without killing a single person.
Which Severus was obviously incredibly pleased about. A thirteen year olds body count should only be so high, despite the justifiable circumstances Potter found himself in each time.
But it was rather horrifying to even acknowledge that this was a turn of events that he should be pleased with.
Severus drank a generous glass of wine as he watched Potter and his friends and idly wondered if this was another thing he should be praising his ward for.
"Harry I am very proud of you for earning one of the top spots in your class on your final exams and for your rightful appointment to the Quidditch Captain vacancy. Also, good job not killing anyone this year."