I raced through the halls of Hogwarts. Bloody Hell, why had I agreed to meet Bill between classes? I rolled her eyes as she skidded around a corner and tossed aside a tapestry. I knew exactly why. Because he was Bill fucking Wesley. He was 2 years ahead of me, insanely popular, and insanely attractive. God knows why he wanted to snog me, a clumsy 5th year.
I ran down the stairs in the passageway that would take me right to Defense Against the Dark Arts, my black and yellow robes flying behind me. God, if I was late one more time, I'd get detention, and that couldn't happen. I was supposed to meet Bill on the grounds tonight.
Preoccupied, I missed a step on the stairs, and I swore as I slipped and landed hard on my ass on the stairs. As i slowly stood up, rubbing what was sure to become a huge bruise, I saw a light coming towards me, silhouetting a man. Leave it out, I thought. The last thing I needed was to meet a teacher down here- I didn't even know they knew about this passageway.
"Are you alright?" the voice asked, and when I saw his face I realized it wasn't a teacher; I'd never seen him before. I was sure I'd remember if I did. Even though he was old enough to be a teacher, his eyes looked young, and there was something handsome about his scruffy-looking hair and the sharp lines of his face.
"Yeah. I mean, yes sir, I'm fine." I said, biting my lip. I hoped he didn't notice me blush, and I hoped my hair wasn't- oh, shit.
"No need to call me sir. I'm Remus- Remus Lupin." he reached out to shake my hand, then glanced at my hair. "I don't mean to sound rude, but has your hair been red this whole time?"
I met his hand and smiled. "Maybe it has, Maybe not." we laughed. "Nymphadora Tonks, but no one calls me that. I'm Tonks."
He smiled a kind smile and let go of my hand, lingering a little too long for it to be a friendly gesture. "Well, don't let me keep you, Nymphadora." he gestured the direction I had been heading. "Though I'd suggest you look out for Filtch- he's usually lurking in the halls at this time of day."
"Will do," I beamed. "It was nice meeting you, Remus."
"You too, Nymphadora."
We both headed on our way, and as I raced away, I realized I had never asked him what he was doing down here. I turned back to ask him, but he was already gone.