“We’d be working in the same building,” she said nuzzling close to him on the couch. “It would be nice to be able to go out for lunch together every day.”

He smiled and kissed her, “I know. But what about Harry, Sirius and Severus? And I kind of…I don’t know.”

“Are scared of giving up a stable position that you’ve had for over a decade?”

“Well-“

“That’s basically what you’ve had. One way or the other you’ve worked at Hogwarts for thirteen years. It’s understandable to be afraid of change. Especially considering what you have at stake. Not many people would give you work, and to say goodbye to one of those people who have always been there with you can be scary.”

Remus shrugged but he had been thinking exactly that, and he had yet to tell Sirius, Severus and Harry. That’s why he called a family meeting and was just waiting for the other three in the Marauder’s Quarters. They didn’t have to wait much longer though as the three in question strode in. Or better said, Sirius bounced in while Harry and Severus entered calmly. Though Severus did have quite a scowl on his face.

“Problems?” Tonks asked as the three took seats.

“Yes,” Severus said grimly. “I had to separate a hex fight between Malfoy and Nott. Apparently Nott very smartly convinced his mother to declare that the Nott family did not approve of Nott Sr.’s actions. Theodore will be seventeen at the beginning of October next year and until then his mother acts as Head of the family since Alexander did not have siblings. Theodore, smart boy that he is, tried to salvage the family’s reputation and therefore his future. Draco did not agree with Theodore abandoning his father like that. To that Theodore answered and I quote; , ‘It would be foolish of me to continue in a lost cause and bury my family in shame and consequent poverty. Start thinking straight because yours is not far behind.’”

“I take it young Draco didn’t like that,” Remus asked.

“No, he didn’t,” Severus answered. “After sending both to the Hospital Wing, I issued detentions for them. Nott has a night with me, and Malfoy has one with McGonagall. I hope Minerva can work her miracles again,” He finished motioning towards Sirius.

“So, what did you call this family meeting for?” Sirius asked in a mock important voice.

“Hum, well, er-“

“Remus has some interesting news to discuss with the family. He just came back from a meeting with the Minister,” Tonks said squeezing Remus’ hand.

Harry asked, “What?”

“Well, you see. The minister is making some changes andsheaskedifIwanttobeHeadofControlandRegulationofMagicalCreatures.”

Severus nodded impressed, “That’s interesting. It’s quite revolutionary. Does the Minister know about your condition?”

Remus nodded but Harry asked bewildered, “What did he say?”

“He has been offered a job as Head of the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures Department,” Severus answered and at Harry’s baffled look he added, “Do you know how many misbehaving students use that technique when confessing?”

“That’s great Uncle Moony!” Harry beamed and launched himself to hug Remus. “You can work to make better laws for werewolves and don’t forget House-elves. Hermione would skin you.”

“You’re okay with this?” Remus asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Harry asked and Sirius who had been oddly quiet, answered with a sulking tone:

“Because he is abandoning us! That’s why!”

Remus sighed and looked at Sirius who had crossed his arms in a defensive way and was glaring at the floor with a scowl.

“I haven’t answered yet.”

“Where do you get that idea dad?” Harry asked bewildered.

“Exactly,” Tonks said. “Remus will still live here. He’ll just Floo out every day. So you will still see him.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say now,” Sirius mumbled.

“Stop being a child Sirius. This is a great opportunity for Remus,” Severus scolded. “We are wizards, all it takes to be at the other end of Great Britain is a second. No need to be overly dramatic.”

“Yeah, yeah, I want to see you say that when it’s been months and we haven’t seen Moony!”

“Vector sees her husband every day and he works in London. He comes back every night,” Remus pointed out.

“Well, sorry if I don’t take your reasoning seriously since you obviously have already decided!” Sirius spat and stalked out of the Marauder’s Quarters banging the portrait shut.

“That went well,” Remus remarked dryly.

“Dad will come around,” Harry said hopefully.

“You’re not the only one scared of change,” Tonks whispered to Remus.

Remus nodded, biting his lips. He looked at Harry, his frown turning into a light smile, “By the way Harry, Madam Bones told me that…”

xxx

“I find it quite ironic that your teenaged son has accepted this and you haven’t.”

“Albus! I came here for you to agree with me not them!” Sirius cried.

“I can’t agree with you when you are being irrational,” Albus said calmly from his desk, where he was observing Sirius pacing the room, sitting back on his chair with his hands folded on his stomach.

“Don’t you see? This is just the first step,” Sirius said miserably. “What happens when he and Tonks decide to get married?”

“You are the one who got them together.”

“When it was a given they would live here because he works here. Why would they live here if they both work in London? Everything will change!”

“Life is full of constant change Sirius,” Albus said. “Your situation was unique. You graduated and roomed with Remus and spent every possible moment with your friends. Then you moved here with Harry and Remus and it was like you never left. This way the change is gradual. Change will happen. And in a couple of years Harry will be the one moving out.”

“I don’t want change,” Sirius said flopping dejectedly on a chair.

“I know.” Albus said sympathetically.

Xx

Harry ran to the Gryffindor tower and spotted Ginny talking with some friends. He ran over her.

“Ginny I need to talk to you. Stay here,” and not spotting the other Weasleys, he ran up to the dorms. Ginny just gaped shocked and confused at him and turned to her friends.

“What was that?”

The other girls she had been talking to just shrugged and decided to keep going on their conversation. A short while later, Harry came barreling down followed by Ron and the twins. They went over to empty seats by the fire and Harry turned exasperated at Ginny.

“Ginny. Talk. Now. Important!”

Ginny sighed in annoyance and nodded to her friends. She dragged her feet to where Harry was taping his foot impatiently and raised an eyebrow.

“What?” she asked annoyed.

“Take a seat,” Harry said sitting down.

“Yes master, something else?”

Harry rolled his eyes, “If you don’t want the juicy news that I know your parents won’t tell you, you can just go.” That perked Ginny up and she asked Harry with a calculated look:

“What news?”

Harry grinned and rubbed his hands, “So, the new Minister called Uncle Moony to offer him a job.”

“That’s great Harry. Good for Professor Lupin,” George beamed. “What does that have to do with us?”

“And she told Uncle Moony your dad-“

“Got a promotion,” Fred interrupted. “We know that. Why would you think our parents wouldn’t tell us that?”

“Will you let me finish?” Harry cried. “So, because your dad was promoted, his assistant, Prekins, Perpins-“

“Perkins,” Ron offered.

“Yeah, Perkins, got promoted to Head of Muggle-Artifacts and-“

“What are you guys doing?” Hermione asked from behind as she and Neville approached and Harry groaned.

“I’ll never finish this way!”

“Harry is telling us something,” Ginny said.

“He is taking an awful lot of time doing so too,” Fred offered and Harry scowled at him.

“Come listen, sit down,” Ron said and Hermione and Neville took a seat each.

“So, as I was saying, with your dad’s promotion-“

“Your dad got a promotion?” Hermione asked happily.

“Yeah, Head of The Muggle Relations Department,” Ron said proudly.

“Hum, hum,” Harry cleared his throat annoyed.

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said. “Continue.”

“Perkins was promoted to your dad’s old job and therefore needed an assistant.”

“And that’s your news?” Ginny asked annoyed and Harry started bashing his head against the back of the seat.

“Why don’t we let him finish?” Neville said diplomatic.

“It’s Percy,” Harry said.

“PERCY?” all six cried at once.

“Yeah,” Harry said pleased.

“But-but- he was junior assistant to the Minister and now-“ Ginny started.

“He is assistant to one of the Heads of a subdivision of the Muggle Relation Departments making your dad ultimately his boss. Apparently he got a cut on his paycheck too since he was technically demoted,” Harry said.

Hermione and Neville had sympathetic looks that were completely lost on the Weasleys as the twins smiled evilly and Ron and Ginny were rolling in laughter.

“So dear Percival and his extreme love to the Ministry didn’t last long, I see,” Fred said in a fake concerned voice.

“Nope, apparently Minister Bones changed all her immediate staff. Something about rule number one of succession “You don’t keep your predecessor’s staff. It’s asking for spies.” Especially in the way her predecessor was voted out of office,” Harry explained.

“Serves him right,” Ron said firmly. “Even his regulation on cauldrons job was higher.”

“Percy tried to argue his case, that he had been loyal to the Minister and was a good assistant and Madam Bones answered, and I quote from a quote: ‘My dear boy, loyalty should start a lot closer than the Ministry. When you have learned that maybe you can have another chance to the Minister’s office, until then you have a lot to learn.’ Uncle Moony said Madam Bones wasn’t impressed with Percy turning his back on his family and said that someone who turns his back on a family that has always treated him with so much love because of a job can’t be trusted not to betray her if it’s convenient for him.”

“The Weasley family may not be in the high society circle but there isn’t a witch or wizard that hasn’t heard of how tight you are. I bet that was why Fudge wanted Percy in the first place. He thought that closeness would get him information on Dumbledore. I bet he didn’t count on Percy walking out and couldn’t just confirm everyone’s suspicion by sacking him,” Neville said.

“Well, at least now that he will be ultimately under your dad maybe Percy will have a new understanding of him,” Hermione said hopefully. “And will come back to the family.”

“Dear Percival will have to sweat a lot to get our forgiveness,” George said in an ugly tone.

Ron nodded, “He can’t just waltz back in after saying what he said.”

“Unfortunately he can,” Ginny said. “At the first sign of wanting to come back mom will have him.”

“So it’s up to us to show him the error of his ways,” Fred smirked evilly and Harry shuddered, and was very happy not to be Percy right now.

xxx

“How come you’re fine with your Uncle changing jobs?” Susan asked as she and Harry perused the Hogsmeade shops for Christmas gifts, hand in hand, during the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas.

Harry shrugged, “Doesn’t change much for me. I mean, I can still see him in the evenings if I want to. Yeah, I will miss having him always there and seeing him at the staff table but I usually don’t see him much during the day anyway because I am in class and he is busy. For dad it’s different because they eat together and both go to staff meetings. They work together at the staff room or in their quarters. The amount of time they spend together will decrease a lot.”

There was also the fact that Harry knew this was huge for Remus. Sirius had started working as a teacher because of Harry but before that he had been an Auror on his own merits. Severus was a teacher on his own Potions merits too. Albus could have easily helped him and kept him safe by other means. Remus on the other hand had been called to at first tutor Harry because he was available and Albus thought Sirius could use the help of the sensible Marauder in raising Harry. Yes, he was a good teacher and very knowledgeable but he had kind of taken the job that was available through Albus Dumbledore’s generosity. Madam Bones was hiring him on his own merits. She wasn’t doing any charity and that was a huge step for Remus. And like it or not Sirius knew that. He was just scared, and therefore still sulking. But even sulking he had actually started to realize this could be good for Remus. Unintentionally he had started drawing up a way to divide some of Remus tutoring responsibilities among the other teachers. Mainly Hagrid’s continuing education. He was in the process of doing that when a visitor entered his office unannounced.

“Hello,” Kingsley said sitting back on a chair and resting his feet on Sirius’ desk. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“What brings you to Hogwarts?”

“Oh, I thought I’d invite you and Remus to dinner since I just got this promotion you see. I’m Head of the DMLE. Bones named me even though I’m the youngest ever to be named. She said she liked the fact that I was more interested in the truth than in politics. Scrimgeour had a fit because she passed me over him,” he said gleefully. “Anyway, I have this big paycheck raise and can splurge around and flaunt my new hefty paycheck in your face.”

“You do know I’m stinking rich?”

“SIRIUS! Don’t spoil the flaunting!”

“Arthur got a promotion too. Head of the Muggle Relations office. You’re not the only one, and Moony-“

“SIRIUS!”

Sirius chuckled and said, “When is the celebration?”

“Tonight at the Leaky Cauldron. I’ve invited a few Auror friends as well as Order Members. We are doing a triple celebration. It’s my promotion and Arthur’s. We are also giving Hestia a farewell party. She is leaving the Auror work as of the first of January, and since that’s just a few weeks away, and in a week it’s Christmas and everyone will be worried with the holidays, we are doing that now.”

“Hestia is retiring from the field? Why?”

“She has been wanting to for a while,” Kingsley shrugged. “She joined because of the war but I don’t think that was her first choice. And now she had an offer to do something else.”

“What?”

“No idea. She’s keeping it a mystery. Wanna come? That’s a good way to make up with Remus.”

“How did you know about that?” Sirius asked shocked.

“Hey, Tonks talks!” Kingsley raised his hands defensively.

“Humph, who says I want to make up?” Sirius scowled.

“Oh, come on. You know you do,” Kingsley coaxed.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Sirius huffed. “But I am taking Severus too. That man needs to learn that Potions experimenting does not constitute fun.”

“And you’re going to kiss and make up?” Kingsley teased. Sirius glared at him.

Xxx

A/N- Thanks you all for reading and reviewing. Thanks SWaddict1986 for betaying.