Gift of Truth
Mio Granger
"Professor! Professor, wait!"
She ran down the sloped lawn to meet him, her robes tangling. She could feel her kneesocks slipping down her legs.
He heaved his trunk into the carriage and turned, light brown hair whipping in the wind. He stood patiently as she pelted down to him.
She stopped, panting a bit, but not too much, then smiled, pleased that she wasn't out of shape. As though her smile had flipped a switch, he too grinned, bemused and tentative but still pleased.
"Ah—er...um," she spluttered, then, for once in her life, acted without also speaking. She thrust her hand out and let the chain in it fall. His eyes dropped from her face to the charm twirling on the end of the chain. She watched his face. The grin had become more bemused, more of a polite smile, and in his eyes, deceivingly tepid-seeming orbs to his soul, his thoughts were clear.
Silver? He sniffed delicately, almost imperceptibly. Definitely silver. And a pentagram. Was she mocking him, warding him away? Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited, only partially because of her sprint. Finally, though it could not have been any more than half a minute, his lips parted slightly, in confusing and in understanding, and he too stretched out his hand, palm up, beneath the swinging star. She let go of the end of the chain, and it pooled gently in his hand. Involuntarily, she looked down. He stooped to follow her eyes, and saw the circle hanging lightly around her neck. Light dawn in his eyes. Before she could move, his hand reached up and grasped hers. Their eyes met, eager, timid brown and cautious, probing grey, and he smiled again.
She inhaled sharply, and trembled.
"Thank you, Hermione," he said, and let go of her hand. Then Remus Lupin turned and climbed into the carriage.
Author's note: The title and the whole gift are based on the meaning of the pentagram, or pentacle. Check it out.