Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Cho leaned nervously against the stone wall. Her hands were sweaty, her pulse racing and already her cheeks were heating up to a fetching shade of crimson. She peered around the corner. The door to his office stood ajar.
Go time.
She made her way down the corridor, clutching her books tightly to her chest. A deep breath, then-
"Um, sir? Can I ask you a question?"
The man at the desk looked up. His face showed none of the surprise she might expect from another teacher, but was rather still calm and serene.
"Of course, Cho," Remus Lupin said, gesturing to the chair that said perpendicular to his desk.
Contact established. Move in.
"Well," Cho said, working her way around the desks to stand in front of the professor. She didn't sit. "I was working on my essay last night, you know, the one about the ethical problems with beast definition and the negative overtones that may or may not related to it, and I was thinking that maybe I'm not the best person to judge on this issue, because I'm not a part-human, so how do I know what they feel, because it strictly relates to their dilemma. I mean, maybe they like being considered beasts and not beings, like centaurs do, and I don't understand the best way to describe this as an impartial observer becau-"
Cho stopped. She was suddenly horribly self-conscious of the fact that her ponytail was slightly askew, and her collar was twisted, and that she had been rambling. Professor Lupin was watching her. He wasn't quite able to hide the faint smile that had spread across his face.
Cho's face matched precisely the shade of a boiled lobster.
Remus Lupin rubbed a hand across his eyes. "Are you an impartial observer?" he asked, looking up at her with- Cho's stomach flipped- his warm, soul-searching brown eyes.
Ummmm. Think, girl. Think.
"Sir?" she asked.
"Cho," Remus Lupin said, and his entire being seemed to speak with that one word. "I am not asking about the best way to describe part-humans in an impartial sense. I'm asking you what you feel. We just spent one month discussing the various part-humans defined as beasts: veela, centaurs, merpeople, werewolves, vampires, and giants. Now tell me how you think they should be classified. Tell me what type of creature you believe they are." Remus Lupin gently touched her chest, right over her heart. Cho was sure he could feel her racing heart.
Brain to mouth, brain to mouth. System overload! Er- OHMIGOD!
Abruptly Remus Lupin moved away from her, as if scalded. "Is that all?" he asked, his toe slightly sharper.
Cho couldn't think of any words to say. She nodded mutely. He smiled at her. "Make sure to include examples," he said, sitting down, the very picture of a boarding school teacher, albeit one nwith several more gruesome scars then average and a constant aura of general ill-being.
Crap. Crap. Losing contact. Re-establish. Something cool. Something cool.
"Uh, sir?" Cho asked. "I- er- I- wanted to say- erm- see you next class?"
The Hindenburg. Hiroshima. The Valentine's Day Massacre of 1981.
"I'll see you next class," her teacher said, smiling. "Goodbye, Cho."
"Bye," she managed.
Somehow, Cho managed to weave her way around the desks and out the door. She leaned against a wall, feeling her thudding heart rate return to normal.
Cho buried her head in her hands.
Epic fail.
Remus Lupin watched the girl practically run out of his classroom, her long black ponytail swinging in time with each stride. He felt his chest muscles relax slightly. An influx of air slid into his lungs.
He wondered if she knew. After all, the girl reminded him of another child, astonishingly bright and fearless, but so utterly tongue-tied and blushing roses around their fancies. He found himself inexplicably drawn to this shadow of an old friend.
The next time Cho entered the Defense room, Professor Severus Snape was sitting behind the teacher's desk.
A/N: This story was inspired by Starkid's "A Very Potter Sequel." If rou are a poor, blighted individual who is unfamiliar with the A Very Potter Musical et al franchise, go check them out. Seriously. They are totally awesome. Tee-hee.
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