Hey there, I've finally gotten around to another chapter! I know I said last time this would be the Christmas chapter, but I'm putting that one off a little while longer. Christmas Eve will be the chapter after this one, and then Christmas Day will be the one after that. Then will be New Year's, and then we'll see where we go from there. I still need to research the lunar calendar for whatever year this is...2001, or 2002, I think, Teddy would be in his first year?

I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway, and will stick around for the excitement to come. :)

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Previously in Second Chances...

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts, first years," I said, my eyes resting on the two boys in the first row. Teddy beamed at me, his face excited. "My name is Professor Remus Lupin." I saw a few heads turn in my son's direction, and he looked down at the desk shyly, his face and ears turning red. I recognized the signs and his effort to morph away the blush, and I was reminded, if only for a second, of his mother. I shook away the next memories that had come, and started talking about what they would learn through the course of the term. I asked them to take out their textbooks, and introduced them to the study of vampires.

By the end of the period, I was pleased with how much information my new Gryffindors and Slytherins had managed to retain. I assigned no homework, which was met with twenty grinning faces. I smiled and headed up the stairs to my office as they chattered amongst themselves, and when the bell rang, I wasn't the least bit surprised when Teddy left with William and the other Gryffindor boys, Conor Lynch, Ben Anderson, and Grayson Moore. And before I could help it, again, I found myself grinning at my son and his friends.

I closed the door to my office, and headed over to the fireplace to Floo home for lunch, memories of the past, thoughts of the present, and hopes for the future colliding in my mind.

xXxXxXx

Hogsmeade Village

Lupin Residence

Three Months Later

I waved my wand and within seconds, a large Christmas tree was steadily in place slightly off to the side of the living room, creating the picture-perfect scene that I had always dreamed of but never really had, or thought I could ever have. Dora helped me with levitating the differently coloured bulbs onto the tree, and with a flick of our wands, the lights appeared and shone brightly, easily comparable to the Northern Lights. This is the life that I'd experienced since Teddy's birth, and I had to reassure myself that for no reason was it going to come to an end.

Because in my life, as it happened all too many times, good things always hit an abrupt halt, and I would be left alone…again. As I always had been.

"We'd best get up to the school, Remus," Dora said quietly from my right, looking at me with an expression that was a mixture of sadness and understanding. She'd always known me too well, and most especially when I didn't know it myself. I gathered myself and nodded, clearing my throat. My eyes turned to the flowerpot by the mantle, and I grabbed a handful of Floo powder.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Defense Office!"

I could only assume that Dora followed my lead, because soon, both of us were lying on the floor of my office, coughing out ash.

"It's beyond me why we can't use something other than the Floo Network, Remus," she managed to say, grimacing as she took a hand towel from my desk and started to wipe her face off. "I mean, honestly."

I scowled at her and wrenched the towel from her grasp, cleaning the soot off of my face. She was looking into the mirror, scrunching up her nose, presumably to choose her hair colour for the day. I smiled slightly, only to bury my face in the crook of her neck, wrapping an arm around her slim waist. She sighed heavily and leaned back into my chest. "Are you alright?" I whispered. Dora closed her eyes, if only for a moment, and a look flitted across her face. I said nothing, knowing when to ask questions and when to leave it be. And for another moment, I couldn't help but to look at our reflection in the mirror and marvel at how truly beautiful she still was. Her hair had turned to green, and I hoped, if only for a second, that she never doubted how much I loved her.

"I'm fine," she said quietly. "I was just thinking about the war. What would've happened to Teddy if we –"

"Don't finish that thought, Dora," I mumbled, taking her hand and leading her to the stairs that would lead us out of my office and down the stairs that would ultimately lead us to the Great Hall. "We're alive, right? That's really all that matters."

xXxXxXx

As we entered the hall, I smiled at the large Christmas trees that rested up by the staff tables and remembered the holidays that I had spent at Hogwarts when I was young. Not that my parents didn't care about their werewolf son; they did. Mum was always overprotective, and Dad had been fired from multiple jobs because of the lengths he went to, just to see me healed. But with James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily, I felt like I had a real family. Not just one who cared about my health, but who cared about my thoughts, valued my opinions, and didn't think I was fragile because of my condition. The Marauders stayed my family until they no longer existed.

But when was that, I wonder, I mused as I watched Will Taylor elbow my son to alert Teddy to our presence, was it when James and Lily died, or was it when Sirius fell through the veil? Or had we been dead long before that?

Looking up from his game of Wizard's Chess with his mate Grayson, Teddy saw me and grinned. He muttered something across the table and ran to greet us, tripping over his robes as he hurried over. Dora shook her head in exasperation. When it came to coordination, Teddy was most definitely her son.

"Dad!" His cheerful voice, despite his embarrassed expression, brought a smile to my face, and it must have given Dora a similar feeling, because I felt her leaning into my side, and as I looked down, she was grinning, her eyes a deep violet, which I knew to be a sign of happiness and contentment. "Mum!" He gave each of us a quick hug, something that was commonplace for the both of us in between classes. I smiled, and before he snuck away, I ruffled his hair that turned blue for a moment before it reverted back to the brown that I'd noticed he was growing to prefer.

"You ready to go home?" I asked, and he nodded eagerly for a moment before his grin faltered and his eyes darted over to the Gryffindor table, where Will had taken Teddy's seat and was continuing the chess game with Grayson. He looked relaxed, but resigned. I knew he would have to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays…his relations with his parents had become worse since his Sorting in September. Dora noticed our son's expression, and she brushed hair out of his eyes.

"What is it?" she asked him. He looked reluctant to say anything, so he looked up at me, unsure. I noncommittally lifted a shoulder.

"Will has to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays," Teddy said quietly. "His family's disinherited him."

"What?" Dora gasped, and she turned to me, her eyes full of worry. "Remus, you never said –" I sent a look in her direction, and she fell silent, but her piercing eyes – blue, now – remained fixed on me. "Why?" And this question was directed to our son, who was already watching our exchange with a worried face.

"Because he's a Gryffindor," was Teddy's simple answer. I felt hot anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach at even the idea that a parent could do that to a child. Will Taylor was a good kid. He was one of the brightest students in his year, and he tried extra hard to make sure he was doing everything right. I supposed he was a Gryffindor for a reason, but in order to live through the hatred of a prejudiced family, you had to be stronger than you looked. I'd lived through prejudice, but whenever I was faced with it, I'd think back to my parents…back to Sirius and James…and now, to Dora and Teddy…and I didn't have to worry about it getting to me. Now, Will had no one. Dora asked no further questions, probably feeling that no other families besides Slytherins would disinherit their children. I almost smirked at the irony that they held so many prejudices against us…we had gained many for them ourselves. Teddy continued to speak. "They sent him a Howler telling him to snuff it." My wife gasped again, and looked over at the black-haired boy who was smirking at Grayson, having just won the game. The blond boy was swatting him on the forehead, and Will grinned, returning the action.

"Tell him to pack his trunk," Dora growled, an all-too familiar fierceness in her eyes. "He's coming home with us." I smirked at Teddy's innocent act; he knew exactly how to play his mother and what her reaction would be. True, he had not approached me to ask if his friend could stay over, but it didn't mean that he hadn't been wondering. I could've sworn he winked at me before he raced back to the Gryffindor table to tell Will that he had succeeded in his mission. Will's grey eyes turned towards me uncertainly, but he smiled after a moment and nodded. Once they got up to leave, another boy, Conor, started a chess game with Grayson, and I couldn't help but notice how the four boys reminded me so much of my own school years. I smiled at the sight for a mere moment, before I blinked and was brought back to reality once more.

Maybe the Marauders have returned, after all, I mused, and Dora sent me a confused look. I shook my head and smiled, brushing my hand across hers. When she reached to grasp it, I pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "We'll talk later," I whispered, and though she looked concerned, she nodded and glanced back at the boys, who were now walking towards us.

"Dad, I'm gonna go help Will pack, okay?" Teddy asked, nervously grinning back at his friend. Will smiled back, and once again I recalled that feeling I'd had, back in September. Indeed, they were going to be brothers.

"We'll meet you back down here," Dora told him, ruffling his hair, which turned red for a moment as he scowled. Then, as he normally did, morphed it to be flat again and stuck his tongue out at her. I smirked. What a typical Tonks reaction. Teddy truly did have more of his mother in him every day. "We have a quick meeting with Minerva, okay?"

He simply nodded in understanding and mild disinterest, though Will seemed faint as he turned to frantically whisper something along the lines of, "Your…er…mate, your parents are on a bloody first name basis with the Headmistress?" Teddy flushed with embarrassment as he nodded and mumbled something incoherently.

I smiled as my son shrugged and told his friend that it was a long story, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jeans. The two boys headed up the staircase and turned to the right, in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, and for whatever reason, that bloody grin was still plastered onto my face.

This Christmas was going to be a fun holiday indeed.

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How was it? I usually have all this stuff written out before I type it, but I actually made this stuff up while I was writing it, so I don't know if it's as good as the other chapters. I'm also, again, concerned about how I characterized Remus, seeing as it's been so long, and I've been working on "Letters to the Next Generation" more recently. And for those of you that are reading "Our Destiny is Yet to be Written," I am very pleased to tell you that I have been working on the next chapter during my English class. So that will be up in...maybe a week or so. After all APs are over. I have APUSH tomorrow and AP Lang next Wednesday... (Oh yeah, and then the SAT on Saturday, yes, this is fun) but other than that, these next chapters should be up fairly soon.

But as always, thank you so much for reading, and I'd really like it (and will be more likely to update sooner) if you review.

Ted(dy) R. Lupin