Welcome back one and all. Sorry it's been a while since the last chapter, having to prioritise work and stuff at the moment. Much rather be writing but what can you do...
Bit of a short chapter here, sort of just working on filling in the gaps at the moment, as I have some more eventful chapters coming up... Anyway, hope you like, I know it's a tad boring this time round...
Also, thanks to those of you who keep reading, and welcome to any new readers. Special thanks for my reviewers, I appreciate the comments
As September turned into October, the reality of being back at school began to hit home with a far greater ferocity than the first three weeks. If the homework load wasn't big before, it certainly was now, and the tone each lesson took was more and more serious by the day. For the sixth years this meant a greater emphasis on the progress tests that would be taking place after the Christmas holidays. The nights were drawing in rapidly and with the fading of the summer, faded Lara's motivation.
She sat alongside Simon, Fabio and Sam in the Ravenclaw common room on the first Wednesday, attempting to battle through a particularly difficult Potions essay that Simon claimed was meant to catch them out. As such, the students were determined to make a success of it and, with Simon as ringleader, the small band of them had been slaving away for hours, trying to grasp the principles of brewing success. Lara stared absently out of the nearest window at the twilight sky, whilst Sam explained some of the details to Fabio, gently and patiently. Simon chewed the end of his quill as he squinted through his glasses at a page of solid hand-written theory.
"You'll make a good teacher someday Sam," Lara commented, without removing her gaze from the window.
"I'll what?" Sam replied with disbelief. "I'm useless with children and... public-speaking and stuff!" There was a look of blatant incomprehension on her tired face, and Fabio joined her in staring his disagreement at Lara. Turning to see their befuddled faces Lara could not help but laugh.
"I've been listening to you explaining that rule," she smiled. "I think even I understand it now, you've got a real knack with that sort of thing."
Sam raised both eyebrows so far that they disappeared under her fringe, and Lara turned to Simon for support.
"Well I understood it anyway," was all he could contribute; at least until both Fabio and Lara glared at him reproachfully. "But," he back-pedalled, "that was a very clear summary. Idiot-proof even... clearly!" Although the last word was almost whispered, Lara still caught full wind of it and threw a cushion at him, defensively.
Fabio and Sam then entered deep conversation on the matter, reaching the conclusion that perhaps when the next career talks came round she should indeed consider the option of teaching, especially as they then could both stay at Hogwarts indefinitely. Lara only half-listened, reading over what she had written down for her essay, while Simon buried his nose back into the challenging manuscript.
"I'm bored," Lara sighed after a few minutes, seemingly the longest she had ever lived through. "Anybody want to take a break?"
"No time," Simon said simply.
"Just had one," Sam answered, on Fabio's behalf as well. He looked vaguely disappointed but didn't voice any disagreement.
"Meh," Lara said simply. "Well I'm going for a wander. Got a letter to send to the parents actually so..." she trailed off, realising nobody was really listening. "So I'll go jump off the top tower. Any objections?"
"Have fun," Simon said, completely clueless. Meanwhile Fabio was picking at a loose thread on Sam's robes, Sam herself scribbling down some notes at great speed.
"I'll miss you too..." Lara mumbled, as she sloped off towards the staircase to fetch her letter.
The owlery was fairly busy for the time of evening. A couple of Gryffindor seventh years were squinting out into the growing darkness, seemingly awaiting something important, a quietly-spoken first-year was in the middle of the room trying to summon down an owl, and a trio of Slytherins were poring over a recently arrived letter and whispering excitedly. Lara whistled for one of her favourite screech owls, who hastily swooped down to her shoulder and nipped her ear.
"Nice to see you too," she said quietly. "Another one for home I'm afraid. Sorry for the lengthy flight." The owl seemed to understand somehow, as he gave a soft hoot when she finished speaking and fluttered over to the nearest window ledge, sticking out a leg.
Lara had just finished tying the scroll to the outstretched leg when another owl hurtled through the same window, causing her to leap out of the way. She recognised it instantly as the speedy, but rather temperamental, female barn owl who had taken her last letter to Tammy. It circled her incessantly, squawking, as she tried to pet the screech owl who was today her messenger. The screech owl took off in disgust, and disappeared quickly into the night. Finally the barn owl seemed satisfied and came to perch in the spot the other had departed.
"Can you shut that thing up?" moaned one of the Slytherins, and Lara noticed all eyes in the room were now on her.
"Not my fault it's a little sod!" she retorted grumpily, and received a sharp peck for her troubles. "Alright, alright!" With the stricken finger in her mouth, Lara struggled to untie the message the owl was sporting, but before long she had it in her grasp. "Thank you!" The owl made to take off, but Lara grabbed its leg. "No, no..." she argued. "Excuse me?" The timid first-year looked at her in shock. "Yep, you. Would you like to use this owl?"
It looked rather as though the small boy could think of nothing worse as he regarded the huffy creature, but he had been so unsuccessful in summoning an owl of his own that he nodded gratefully. He shuffled over without a word, and Lara assisted him in attaching his lengthy letter home, her own new arrival shoved in a pocket.
See, I wouldn't make such a bad prefect, she thought as she smiled reassuringly at the boy who was fretting that his letter may not arrive safely.
"You'll hear back from your parents in no time mate, I'd put money on it!" Lara stated, trying to sound sure for her own sake as much as the boy's. It would be just her luck to have sent a rogue owl off into the wilderness with a homesick child's letter, never to return.
As she left the owlery and descended the stairs silently, she recalled that she had just received a letter herself, and pulled it out of her pocket. It was tightly folded, and her concentration was so much on opening it that she did not see Professor Snape walking right at her. When the letter was finally unfolded the shockwave that hit her was twofold. Not only were the words that faced her the last ones she expected to see, but at the same time her foot hit something hard and she looked up to see the Potions Master stock still before her, giving one of his best glares.
Crumpling the letter up quickly, but fearing he had already seen it, Lara grinned apologetically.
"Is it so hard to look where you're going?" Snape snapped. "And they say Ravenclaws are the intelligent ones? You have to wonder..."
"Sorry Professor," Lara managed to mutter. "I erm... unexpected letter." She attempted a smile.
"You had better hope we don't collide again, young lady," Snape went on, his glowering eyes on hers. There was a slight smirk on his pale face that concerned Lara, increasing the possibility that he had seen the message. "I may be inclined to deduct house points for any more... clumsiness." Lara knew this was unjust and possibly an empty threat, but with the situation as delicate as it was concerning what was written on the paper still in her grasp, she simply nodded.
"Won't happen again, Sir," she said in appeasement. It appeared Snape was satisfied by this as he took an over-emphasised sideward step and continued on his way without another word. With a glance over her shoulder, Lara recovered the screwed-up paper ball from a clammy fist behind her back and unravelled it once more. She shook her head as she looked down at the words, silently praying Snape had not caught sight of them, whether they be true or not. Written in large letters, and repeated several times across the sheet were the mocking words of her oldest friend...
Lara loves Lupin
Lara loves Lupin
Lara loves Lupin!
Lara loves Lupin!!!
Lara was not too impressed by Tammy's stunt. She was glad however that she had been alone when the letter had arrived; wondered if in fact Tam had somehow engineered it that way. Uninspired though she was by the simplistic and childish reply, Lara could not help but worry about the thought that had gone into those words. She had written quite the proper letter to Tam, and the fact that the only thing deemed worthy of a response was the mention of Professor Lupin had her racking her brains to try and remember exactly what she had said. Had she really conveyed somehow an unreasonable affection for Lupin? Had she written something that implied anything more than a vague intrigue in his character? More likely it was just Tam's attempt at a wind-up, perhaps she had wanted to stir up some sort of a rumour among Lara's school friends, create a bit of scandal!
Whatever the case was, Lara became painfully aware that she was worrying about it an undue amount. It was just a little note. It was just her old friend from Northwest-England suburbia trying to have a bit of fun across the miles. It didn't matter, because she did not love Lupin; and nobody in their right mind would ever suspect such a thing. Nonetheless she did not mention it to anybody either, didn't talk of the run-in with Snape or helping the boy in the owlery. In fact, she was strangely quiet for the rest of the night, and although still highly uninterested in her essay, the encounter with Snape gave her a renewed motivation to do a good job of it.
If he had seen Tammy's words it would definitely not do to get in his bad books. He wasn't to know they were just the teasing of a muggle friend. And if there was a fractious history between him and Lupin, his were certainly not the best eyes to have read such words. He was not the best person to hold such power and, as far as he knew, such valuable information.
... Not that it was remotely true, of course.
