When Remus Lupin entered Gris Granger's office that day, he was on a mission. He knew exactly what he was out to accomplish. He knocked on her door and in a few seconds her heard.
"Come in," the 7th year teaching assistant called. He pushed the door open and she looked up at him.
"Remus Lupin? My God, it's been ages," she smiled, getting up to greet him.
"Gris, my dear, delightful to see you," he took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. Gris thought it a bit odd, but nothing to be terribly alarmed about.
"I didn't know you were back," she said.
"I'm filling in for Professor O'Hollran while he recovers from his unfortunate accident," he said. In a fight recently, Gris has impaled Aidan O'Hollran in self defense. He'd lost his spleen and part of his liver and he was still in a wizarding hospital in London. Lupin knew full well Gris inflicted the wound. Everybody did.
"Well, then you'll be seeing me every day," she smiled.
"Why is that?" he asked, surprised.
"I'm a teaching assistant for first through sixth years. Defense Against the Dark Arts is one of my classes," she told him. "After McGonagall came up with the idea, Snape, Flitwick, and Aidan took up the rest of my free periods."
"You must keep busy," he said.
"I grade stuff mostly. The Potions classes beg me to help them," she laughed. Remus smiled.
"Ah, yes. Severus doesn't make it easy for them, does he?" he said. Gris sat back at her desk. Remus surveyed the room and noticed a dog bed in the corner across from him.
"Did you get a dog?" he asked.
"That's Padfoot's bed. I've sort of adopted him," she replied. Remus gave a slow nod.
"Does he like it?"
"It's warm, he gets good food, and he can see Harry daily," Gris answered. "You tell me."
"You're still the same Gris I remember from three years ago. Of course, you have grown up a bit," he said.
"It's what I've been told," she said, pushing a strand of red gold hair behind her ear.
"Please, sit," she gestured to a chair in front of her desk. Lupin swept up his cape and sat. He needed to tell her, but it didn't feel right yet.
"So," she said. "How have you been?"
"Not terribly well," he said. "The werewolf potion ran out about six months ago. My house looks like hell from all the chewing and scratching I've been doing."
"You should have owled me. I can brew it, no problem," Gris said.
"Well, thank you for that kind offer, but I'm sure Severus wouldn't have approved," he told her. In addition to greatly disliking Remus, he was also Gris's Auror watcher. Until she turned eighteen, everything she did was his business. It was September, and her birthday was in January.
"Eh, he'd get over it," she said.
"I don't believe he's ever 'gotten over it'," Remus said wryly. "Ask Padfoot." Gris didn't reply. She seemed to be thinking.
"Gris, I came here to talk to you about something," he said.
"Please, talk," she said, leaning back in her chair.
"Ever since I came back here, there's been a certain person whom I feel I should try and get to know better," he began.
"Anyone I know?" Gris questioned.
"Someone you know very well," he said.
"Really?"
"It's you," he said. His hands were shaking and his voice was breaking up. Gris cocked her head and pondered this thought.
"Why me?" she asked.
"You're going to think I'm batty when I tell you this, but when I got here two nights ago, I saw you for the first time in three years. You had blossomed from a pretty child into a stunning young woman. I even asked Professor McGonagall if it was you. She smiled and said 'She's a real lady know, isn't she?' I had always been fond of you before, however a few short years can change everything," Gris shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She thought she knew where this was going. Just to be sure, she asked.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I'm falling in love with you," he said slowly, to make sure the words came out properly. Gris put her hand over her face. Did her teacher just tell her he was in love with her? She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly, but at the same time she knew she had.
"Professor," she finally said. "I think you haven't quite recovered from your trip yet. Perhaps you should get some rest."
"I'm perfectly well rested and I'm sure what I say to you is true," he told her. "I can help you and offer you protection." Gris got up and went to the door. Lupin stood up and continued.
"You protect Harry, but who will protect you?" Gris stopped in the doorframe and turned her face in profile.
"I can protect myself," she said quietly. Lupin came up behind her and stopped when his body was almost flush with hers.
"Who's going to protect you from yourself? You know how self destructive you can get, Gris. You fear it. The boggart turned into you when it saw you, that can only mean one thing," he told the young Auror.
"And what is that?"
"You're a danger to yourself. You hold powers that no one has ever seen before, and will probably never see again. You're fabulously equipped to protect Harry, but you have no one to come to your rescue," he said.
"Then keep it business," she said. Lupin put his lips next to her ear.
"I know you don't want that," he whispered. "You're thinking of Harry. I don't want to hurt him any more than you do. But do consider what I've said."
Gris wanted to say something, but the words died in her throat. They stood there for a few moments, unmoving. Lupin's hand slid down and rested on Gris's hip.
"Look at me," he said. Gris turned, not brushing his hand away. "Give yourself some time. Meet me in my office after dinner and give me your answer." Gris glanced at her watch. Classes were about to change to the 10:30. Dinner was at six. She had seven and a half hours to think.
"Okay," she said. Lupin smiled and left. Gris changed from her red teaching robe into her black school robe. She had Ancient Runes now. She sighed, picked up her books and walked down to class.
At lunch, she met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They'd just come from Care of Magical Creatures. Gris couldn't get the thought of Lupin out of her head as the nattered on about the pixie lesson.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, noticing her cousin wasn't chiming in with her usual cutting remarks.
"Yeah, just thinking about a Runes question," she said.
"Maybe I can help," Hermione suggested. Gris smiled and closed the book she was reading.
"Nah, I don't think you can help with this one," she replied.
"Okay," Hermione said, going back to her lunch.
"I'm so glad Professor Lupin is back," Ron said. "Thanks for skewering Aidan, Gris." She smiled.
"No problem,"
"I want lunch to hurry up and end so we can get to class," Harry said. Gris suddenly jumped. They stared at her.
"You have DADA next?"
"Yeah, it's Tuesday," Ron said. "Aren't you TA-ing today?" Gris flipped open her book and looked at her schedule.
"Uh, yeah," she said. "I only have Runes today. I've got DADA and 2nd year Potions this afternoon."
"You're so lucky that you finished early. You barely have to go to any classes," Harry said.
"Being a TA isn't easy. I have to grade stuff for all 4 classes and I have to really know my stuff to help people in class. I also have to remember that I'm in first year Potions and not sixth year Charms," she said.
"Yeah, I guess," Harry said.
"I have to run and change. I'll meet you in there," Gris said. She gathered up her books and walked out of the Hall.
"Did you see the way she jumped when she heard we were going to DADA?" Ron said.
"Maybe she was daydreaming," Harry suggested.
"She probably just forgot it was Tuesday. I bet it was nothing," Hermione said.
"That was probably it," Harry agreed. Ron shrugged.
"I guess so," he said. They got up and followed the sea of students back into the body of the school. The trio were some of the first to get into the DADA room. Professor Lupin was sitting in the front, looking through some papers. They all noticed that the streaks of gray in his hair were gone. It was now completely red brown.
"How strange," Hermione whispered.
"He probably put a color charm on it," Ron hissed back. Lupin looked up and saw them as they sat down.
"Afternoon, you three," he said,
"Good afternoon," they answered.
"Everything been well?" he inquired.
"Fine," Hermione said. Lupin smiled.
"Very good," he said. "I've been fine, myself."
"Have you talked to Padfoot?" Harry asked.
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him. Perhaps, this evening," Lupin replied.
"He sleeps in Gris's office," Ron told him.
"I'll have to find out from her when he's in there," Lupin said. Just then, Gris came walking in. Her blood red robes billowed behind her as she walked down the stairs.
"Speak of the devil, lovely to see you," Lupin said. Gris gave a small nod.
"And yourself," she said. Ron, Harry, and Hermione couldn't be completely sure, but there was something in the air between Gris and Lupin. Maybe they'd had a fight.
Gris and Lupin walked up to the front of the room, leaving them to talk.
"Maybe they fought," Hermione ventured.
"And that's why Gris didn't want to come," Ron said.
"But what would they fight over?" Harry asked.
"I dunno," Hermione shrugged. They didn't get much more said than that because Lupin began class.
Lupin and Gris regarded each other coolly throughout class. The exchanged few words and kept to opposite sides of the room. This bolstered Hermione's theory of an argument. The two weren't acting like people on good terms. The part that stumped them was what they could have possibly fought over. Try as they might, no one could come up with a viable idea. They resolved to ask Gris about it after class.
At the end of class, Gris left quickly. They had to run to catch up with her.
"Gris!" they called. She stopped.
"Can this be quick? I have to get to Potions early," she said. She seemed thoroughly irritated. Now was not the best time to ask.
"Nevermind. It can wait," Hermione said.
"Okay," and with that Gris was gone.
As she turned down the stairs, Gris breathed a sigh of relief. The tension in the room had been incredible. Lupin had played it cool the whole time. Apparently, he had been doing an excellent job of acting like nothing was wrong. However, Gris knew that all that had changed when she came in. Her nerves had wrapped his tighter than one of those Muggle tightropes. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. Snape would eat her for lunch if he even had a clue about what was going on between her and Lupin. She stopped in a small alcove and took out her wand. She performed a Cheering Charm on herself, one long enough to last through the Potions class. With a smile and a spring in her step, Gris opened the door to Snape's dungeon classroom. It was Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Gris didn't care. The Cheering Charm had worked its magic.
She walked to the front and greeted Snape.
"You're in a sickeningly happy mood," he said.
"Cheering Charm," she replied. "You should try one."
"I like my mood as it stands," he said, filing away the papers he was working on. Gris giggled. Snape just shook his head.
She went happily through the hour and a half of Potions. Classes ended at four, leaving two hours until dinner. The charm was beginning to wear off as Gris heaved the scrolls of Potions homework up to her corner office on the second floor. She dropped them in a drawer and threw open the huge wardrobe on the far wall. Tossing her robe in there, she closed the blinds. She changed into a black spaghetti strap and a long black skirt slit up to her hip on both sides. She went shoeless while she graded some of the scrolls. Around four thirty, she heard scratching at the door.
"It's open," she called. Padfoot scratched it open and trotted in. Gris got up from her desk and kneeled in front of the big black dog.
"Hey buddy," she said, showering kisses all over his shaggy snout. She stood back up and closed the door. The dog took on his human form, that of Sirius Black. He surveyed her outfit.
"Got a date?" he asked. "Cause that's an awful lot of leg for grading papers."
"I dunno, I'm feeling a little…sexy…today, I guess," she shrugged. He laughed. Gris went back to her desk and sat down. Sirius rested in the chair across from her.
"I heard Remus is back," he said.
"You heard correctly," she replied.
"He found me this afternoon," he continued.
"Really?" Gris said, not looking up from the papers she was grading. Sirius leaned forward and rested a forearm on her desk.
"He asked me about you," he said softly.
"I'm sure you told him only the best," she said, putting down her quill and folding her hands.
"I told him the truth," he said.
"As only you could do," said Gris.
"If there's something I need to know about, by all means, tell me," he said.
"There's nothing to tell," Gris said. Sirius leaned back.
"Just don't get yourself hurt," he said. Gris picked up the quill again and continued grading.
"Not planning on it," she said slowly.
"You're still a little girl in my eyes, Gris. You've kept me from getting caught these past few years, I feel like I need to pay you back by protecting you every now and then," he said.
"Thank you, but I have enough people looking after me right now," she said. Gris put away the scroll and placed her quill back in the well.
"I'm going up to the tower before dinner. I'll send Harry down to see you," she got up and put her school robe on over her risqué new outfit.
"I'll be here," Sirius replied as Gris pulled her boots on. She left her office and went up to Gryffindor Tower.