the_debt_of_time

The suspicion in her voice was evident, so he looked back at her, hoping that eye
contact would prevent her from making a scene. "No, it's umm... it's a Muggle place."
She raised an eyebrow and her blue eyes stared at him as though she could see into
his mind. Remus looked away again. "A Muggle bar? Remus, what's going on?"
"I have to go. I'll send you a Patronus when I'm done," he said quickly and then
turned away from her, rushing over to where Hermione stood with her parents.
"Mr and Mrs Granger, how do you do?" He forced a smile to his face and extended
a hand to the pair of Muggles. "I'm Remus Lupin."
"Richard," Hermione's father introduced himself. "My wife, Helen," he said,
gesturing to the brunette standing beside him.
Remus looked the pair over, surprised at how much Hermione looked like them
both. He had been equally surprised to learn long ago that Mia had been adopted. Granted,
she had never had the unfortunate "Potter hair" as Dorea called it, but he had still always
looked at the witch as a smaller copy of her Slytherin mother. Yet here, standing in front
of the Muggles, he could not deny the obvious similarities.
"Pleasure." He smiled at the couple and shook hands with each of them. "I'll be
accompanying you home this year. I know that Professor McGonagall put up some
standard security measures for your home a while back. She's asked me to double-check
them for her."
Helen frowned. "Is everything all right?"
Remus glanced briefly down at Hermione, who smiled sweetly but very subtly shook
her head in a gesture that only he appeared to catch and understand. "Nothing to be
concerned about," he assured them with lies that tasted like ash in his mouth. "Like I said,
it's fairly standard. Most magical homes have their own personal family protections, so
Hogwarts likes to take special care of the Muggle-born students who don't have access to
such things."
"Oh, are you from Hogwarts then?" Richard asked.
"Lupin," Helen whispered and looked down at her daughter. "Hermione, didn't you
once have a teacher named Lupin?"
"Yes, Mum." Hermione nodded. "This is Remus Lupin—formerly Professor Lupin."
Remus was thrilled to finally be rid of the girl seeing him as a strict authority figure.