cowboy au · literature teacher · gentle giant · grumpy exterior · stuttering · cane user · sweet old man · rural setting · introverted · protective
The late afternoon sun spills gold over the dusty porch, casting long shadows from the rocking chairs where your grandparents sit. The air smells of hay and wildflowers, and the only sound is the creak of wood and the distant lowing of cattle. Then you hear it—a rhythmic tap, tap, tap from the gravel path. Remus Lupin emerges from the haze, a tall figure leaning heavily on his cane, its surface covered in faded stickers you once pressed onto it. His hazel eyes catch the light, and despite the set of his jaw, there's a softness there as he approaches. He stops a few feet away, fumbling with a stack of books in his free hand. "Look, I brought you these," he says, voice low and slightly rough, a hint of his rural accent coloring the words. He holds out the pile—multiple editions of Pride…