On the next day, Harry Potter returned to classes. He congratulated John for flying well, even though John didn't know how Harry could tell as he'd been in the Hospital wing but he thanked him nevertheless.
Fortunately, Snape's alibi seemed to have convinced at least Dumbledore, as John didn't see any change in the way the teachers treated him.
There was one exception, of course: Professor Lupin was watching him even closer now and whenever John stepped out of a class room he was sure to see Lupin standing in a corner.

John would have liked to talk to someone about it, but Harry, Ron and Hermione liked Lupin too much and he did not want to go to Sherlock for he still was not sure if the detective actually believed him.

So all John could do was trying to keep a low profile in Defence against the Dark Arts.
He had almost gotten through Monday's lesson without getting any points taken off Gryffindor, when one of his shields redirected one of Neville's curses. John watched the bolt of red light as it soared through the air, missing Harry's head by mere inches before it hit a tapestry and set it on fire.
John cursed silently. Why could the curse not have flown into anyone else's direction?

"Who did this?" Lupin demanded as he flicked his wand to extinguish the fire before anything else could go aflame.
Neville looked down, paling at Lupin's angry voice. Lupin was one of the few teachers who did not tell him off frequently.

"It was me," John said stepping forward quickly. As Lupin was going to blame him anyway he could take all the guilt just as well. "I must have pronounced the word wrongly and the spell bounced off Neville's shield."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "You usually perform the spell's correctly."

"It was an accident, Sir. I am sorry."

"It could have injured someone," Lupin pointed out and John had the distinct feeling that what he actually meant was 'it could have hurt Harry.'
"I am sorry," John repeated stubbornly.
"You are not supposed to use magic carelessly, John," Lupin said completely ignoring his apology. "When you are not focused, your spells can easily go astray and create significant damage. Five points from Gryffindor. And be sure to be more careful next time."
John scowled but knew better than to say anything. He didn't care for the points he lost anyway, especially as Harry was rewarded for his nice shield spell just a couple of minutes later.

"Why is he like that to me?" John asked in exasperation when he and the others went to Potions.

"Who?"
"Oh", John hadn't even realized he'd posed the question aloud in front of Harry, Ron and Hermione. "It's Lupin," he sighed. "He takes points from me all the time and looks as though I'm going to murder someone whenever I open my mouth to do a spell!"

Hermione frowned. "Why would he think you're going to harm anyone?"

John shrugged. He didn't want to tell Hermione about Lupin's suspicions that he had let the Dementors in.
But as he thought about it he realized Lupin had treated him strangely ever since the very first lesson. He could not remember to have done anything to offend Lupin. But still Lupin's unfair treatment did not seem to derive from simple dislike: Because sometimes, when Lupin thought John wasn't looking, there was this deeply concerned expression on his face, mixed with a bit of sadness. It was the same kind of look Lupin gave Harry sometimes whom he definitely liked.

"You shouldn't give it too much thought," Hermione said sympathetically, interrupting his thoughts. "He's going through a rough time."

"Rough time?" John repeated but Hermione wasn't willing to elaborate.

The following Potion's lesson was definitely more pleasant: Snape ignored John most of the time, which was compared to what the other Gryffindors had to endure, a good thing, and as John's potion turned out exactly as the one presented in the textbook, Snape even gave him a small smile and –unbelievably- five points for Gryffindor.
As Ron pointed out at lunch, that was a first. "I don't think he has ever given points to a Gryffindor before! My brothers at least told me that he never did."

John shrugged. "Maybe he forgot I am. Sherlock's and Hermione's potion were just as well after all..." Hermione smiled a little at the compliment but John could see that in fact she was unsettled.

"What grade did he gave you for the last essay?" she asked casually.

"Hermione!" Ron said reaching for the potatoes. "Is it this hard for you to accept someone was better then you? I mean, this Holmes boy has managed to turn his desk into a pig at first try and not at second..." The glare she gave him silenced Ron but he seemed to have trouble to keep a straight face.
"Speaking of John surpassing someone..." John blushed at Harry's words. "Wood has complained you haven't been to training."

"What?" John asked in surprise. "But you're fine again, aren't you?"

"Yes. But Wood was quite impressed by your last catch and he says there's nothing wrong with having a little competition..."

"But I don't even have a broom..." John's voice trailed off and his stomach clenched.

He had not thought about Harry's Nimbus with everything following the Quidditch game.

"Your Nimbus..." he muttered, trying to recall what happened to the broom. He hadn't had it anymore when he had lain on the ground.

"Well, I would give it to you –especially as it was really shiny when Sherlock gave it back- but I will need it during training as well..."

John gave a wry smile, making a memo to himself to thank Sherlock for buying a new broomstick.

"I think you're going to be fine with a school broom," Harry said. "They're not all that bad."
John though about the ones he had seen in the trials and wondered if the 'not that bad' ones were the ones overtaken by butterflies or those that were likely to head in the wrong direction.

"I don't want to steal your position though," John said slowly. "I was just filling in." He didn't want to benefit from Harry's injury, especially not with what he had seen in the Mirror. "Come on," Harry said. "If you're better you deserve to play instead of me. And it will be fun to practise with another seeker."