"Once the feathers are gone, I wouldn't mind a gentle bop. I might even find it soothing." He wrinkles up his nose and has to resist the urge to scratch at one last bit of moult. It always itches, just at the base of his neck. "I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend and kept up with letters. I was on the road for several months, never had a place to stop, and that's not much excuse, but there it is."

They both know that he'd regularly sent notes to Remus, to confirm that he was still alive, and there was the one message he'd sent to Hermione, just before her duel.

"And then, once I'd stopped being saddlesore, I went back to school. I wish I could bring you back with me."

He stands in front of her in his simple clothing, with a few ink spots near the cuffs, and not much else to call his own.