The room was dark, lit only by a few candles and lanterns, which guttered slightly in a cold draught. A man sat at his desk, working through a pile of essays that yearned to be marked before the flames died out.
Suddenly he set his tattered quill down and leant back in his chair, passing a hand over his tired, thin face as he yawned widely. He longed for sleep but it would not come; he had found it increasingly difficult lately to rest, and felt the repercussions deeply now.
There was more grey than ever these days in his once-brown hair, and despite having a good while to go until his fortieth year, his face showed lines that were early in appearing. And not many of them were laughter lines, either.
Opening his light brown eyes, he rose from his seat and walked over to the window. He looked out over the school grass, and into the Forbidden Forest. He could see the Whomping Willow from where he stood, and he loathed it.
His hands in his pockets, the man's slender form didn't move as he stood deep in thought. He remembered his own school days here, wishing himself back to those years, the happiest he had known. Bittersweet memories came to him, of the fun that had been had with his old friends – so innocent and carefree their time had been here, no one could have guessed that such a tangle of deceit, betrayal and murder would unravel ahead of them.
He raised his hands, covering his face, trying in vain to shut out the awful thoughts and memories – but that would be shutting out his whole life... impossible. He opened his eyes and slowly took a deep breath, tightly gripping the window ledge in front of him.
The grounds he gazed across darkened as the half moon was smothered by clouds. The man squinted, his tired eyes adjusting to the gloom. He suddenly became tense and alert as he stared at the edge of the black forest. He thought he'd seen something, just a shadowy shape, but so familiar, and instantly recognisable…
He stared hard, his now sharp eyes searching for any movement. Hadn't he seen it? The outline of a huge dog, emerging from the trees?
No, of course he hadn't. And he wouldn't again, ever.
Tearing himself from the window's view, he faced the room again, seeing the shadows moving eerily across the floor in the candlelight.
He still hadn't moved a few minutes later when a knock on the door surprised him from his reverie.
"Come in," he said, but no sound issued from his dry throat. He cleared it and tried again.
The door opened and a boy came in quietly. Sixteen years old, he was thin, with untidy black hair and bright green eyes. They seemed unusually bright tonight.
Seeing him there, the man raised a hand to his mouth; it was always so strange a sight, liking seeing his old friend again every time.
"Hello," he managed. "What's wrong?"
The boy's face was as tired and anxious as his own; they obviously shared this insomnia.
"I just – wanted to see someone," the boy spoke from the doorway. "I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might be awake, too."
"I was just doing some work," the man offered, half truthfully. He added after a moment, "I couldn't sleep either, actually."
"I thought –" the boy faltered, looked to the floor restlessly, then carried on. "I thought I saw him again."
The man closed his eyes briefly, and once again passed a hand over his weary face. This happened so often now; the two would see the same phantom shape in the distant darkness, they somehow shared the same vision.
"Me too," he replied finally. The two men looked at each other, a pair of young, bright green eyes meeting tired, lined, brown ones, and they were glad of each other.
A/N: This is a sort of AU I guess, as I had Lupin working back at Hogwarts in Harry's sixth year. Hope you enjoyed it; reviews wouldn't go amiss if you did! Cheers.