Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban Timeline
"I Hold the Moon"
ooo
"I would love to say that you make me weak in the knees
but to be quite upfront and completely truthful you make my body forget it has knees at all."
- Chasers of the Light, Tyler Knott Gregson
HUNTING RED CAPS
Two weeks later Hagrid still hadn't recovered his adventurous spirit and his classes were still dull and boring, even to Nora whose favourite subject had always been Care of Magical Creatures. Everyone had come to her to complain — Tristan, Harry, Ron and Hermione, Julia and Liam… several of her classmates too. Since it was common knowledge around the castle that she was close to Hagrid, a sort of part-time assistant some would say, they all thought she had enough power to sway him over.
Naturally, they thought wrong.
"You can't keep this on forever, you know," Nora told Hagrid one evening when she offered to help him feed the Thestrals. "I mean, there's a whole curriculum you need to follow before the end of the year. I'm fairly sure it's not all about flobberworms."
"I'll jus' stick ter harmless creatures, then," said Hagrid, who was carrying two heavy buckets filled with raw meat.
"Useless creatures is more like it," Liam muttered under his breath.
Nora rolled her eyes and swatted him in the shoulder. "What's the point of you being here again?"
"I'm helping!" He motioned for his own heavy bucket and, as she raised her eyebrows, pulled a face that made her laugh.
When they reached the clearing, Hagrid dropped the buckets with a loud clang and rolled back his massive shoulders. Nora grabbed a few pieces and walked over to a small foal that was hiding behind its mother's legs. Lowering to a crouch so as to make herself less intimidating, she held the meat in her hand coaxing the foal with soft noises. The Thestral mother nudged her baby, which seemed incentive enough as the foal finally trotted over to nip at the treat.
"Not everyone's like yeh an' Tristan," Hagrid said while tossing meat at the rest of the Thestrals. "Most folks are scared o' magical creatures. What if someone gets hurt again 'cos o' me?"
"Hagrid." Nora shot him a look over the shoulder. "This is a magic school, someone's bound to get a bit hurt every now and again. Just the other day a first year got his head stuck in a banister because of a prank the Weasley twins pulled. I had to lather the poor fellow with soap, he was spitting out bubbles for hours!"
Liam snorted, "Fred and George are evil geniuses."
Nora secretly agreed. She'd always had a soft spot for the Weasley twins. In fact, she had rescued them from many a detention with Filch. She thought them very clever and ingenious, and often found their pranks to be a wonderful source of amusement, despite some of them requiring a good amount of work to sort out afterwards. Pulling pranks was Fred and George's own unique way of standing out — they were brilliant at it.
"It's different, innit? I'm a teacher… fer now at least," Hagrid added sullenly.
"Dumbledore wouldn't sack you," Liam argued.
"Dunno 'bout that…"
"Well, I do. You're family — to everyone in this school." Nora smiled radiantly at Liam, touched by his extraordinarily kind statement. He crouched next to her and reached his hand out for the foal to sniff without meeting her eye. His ears had gone faintly pink.
There was a sudden, clamorous noise in the otherwise peaceful clearing as Hagrid blew his nose on his sleeve. The small foal jumped with the startle, skipping off to hide behind his mother's legs again.
Horrified, Liam glanced over his shoulder at the weeping giant. "Why's he crying?!"
Nora tried not to laugh at the look on her friend's face. "You know Hagrid's a big softie, I don't think he expected to hear something so sweet from a cool-headed chap like you."
"I'm not that cool…" Liam shifted his weight from one leg to the other, sparing her a sideways glance. "… am I?"
"Maybe a bit, but we all know you're a big softie too." She ruffled his impeccably coiffed hair, smiling when his hands immediately darted to fix it. "Deep, deep down. Under all those thick, prickly layers."
He pouted like a little boy. "I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or a compliment."
"Both, I reckon," Nora quipped back good-naturedly, pushing to her feet and going to join Hagrid, who seemed to have calmed down in the meantime. She gave him a friendly pat on his arm, grabbed a few more pieces of meat from the buckets, and delved into work.
Thestrals were perhaps the creatures she was most fond of. They had a very serene and wistful quality to them, almost melancholic. So hauntingly beautiful, yet so misunderstood. Loyal to a fault. It was really a pity the Ministry had declared them highly dangerous beasts as it didn't help shift the mentality of the wizarding folk in their favour. But, unfortunately, perpetuating prejudice was precisely what the Ministry did best.
It was almost nighttime when Nora and Liam finished helping out Hagrid. After bringing the buckets back to his hut, they used the basin in the back to get themselves cleaned up, then bid him goodbye and hurried back to the castle for the feast.
"That was fun," Liam said in conversation as they reached the entrance courtyard.
"Hanging out with Hagrid's always fun. He is family after all," Nora teased.
Liam dragged a hand down his face with a groan, "You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?"
"Not in this lifetime," she laughed.
Crossing through the double doors of the Great Hall, Nora's eyes were drawn to the high table as though by a magnetic force. Her heart did a quick, little flip when she spotted Professor Lupin.
Defence Against the Dark Arts had become the new highlight at Hogwarts in no time. Although some Slytherin students still insisted on making fun of Lupin's overall shabby appearance, no one else cared about his old clothes or the state of his suitcase because every single class the man taught was fun, compelling and interesting. He had charisma to spare and a refreshing sense of humour not often found amongst teachers.
As for Nora, she had come to love his class, particularly when she had it first thing in the morning. It was somewhat a secret, like an unspoken agreement between them, that when she slipped into his classroom an hour before everyone else, Professor Lupin would be there waiting for her. She didn't talk about the boggart incident again and he never brought it up either. Instead, they would chat about books and school, Nora sitting at her usual desk and Lupin perched on the one in front of her, and with each second spent in his company she found herself feeling more and more at home. As though they were longtime friends who had finally found their way back to each other after many years apart.
"I meant to ask you before," Liam started, snapping Nora out of her thoughts about Professor Lupin and his charming smile, "but did you and Caito manage to sort things out that day in the hospital wing?
"More or less," she answered vaguely as they sat down at the Ravenclaw table. "And you? When are you going to set aside that pride of yours and talk to him?"
Liam hummed offhandedly, "Nothing to talk about."
"C'mon—" Nora bumped his shoulder. "Why are you two still fighting? It's not about me, is it? What happened's between me and Caito. We never meant to drag you, Emma or Jules into any of it."
"I know." Liam's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He covered it up by poking her forehead playfully with his finger. "It's nothing for you to worry your pretty head over."
"Aw, you think I'm pretty?"
He laughed when she batted her eyelashes at him. "Fishing for praise, Cavanaugh? I expected more from you."
Moments later Nora and Liam were joined by Emma and Julia, who decided to sit with them so she could chat their ears off about Celia Morales, a seventh year Hufflepuff with beautiful almond skin and lustrous hair. Celia was very popular because she loved to stand out in class by making funny jokes everyone laughed at, including some of the teachers. Julia'd had a massive crush on her for the last two and half years. Several times now, Nora and the twins had encouraged her to make a move but for some reason Julia, who was always so dauntless, turned unusually shy and tongue-tied whenever Celia was around.
While doing her rounds after the feast, Nora bumped into a group of Gryffindor first years who had lost their way to the common room. They all seemed equal parts relieved that someone had found them and terrified of having points taken from their house or serving detention with Mr. Filch. She escorted them back, promising them nothing of the sort was going to happen.
"Is it true he has shackles in his office and he hangs bad students upside down from their ankles in the banisters?" asked one of the young Gryffindors, eyes wide.
Nora looked down in surprise, "Where'd you hear that?"
"Some ginger-haired boys were saying it in the common room the other night," a tiny, ruby-cheeked girl said with her arms crossed. "Of course, I didn't believe them. Teachers aren't allowed to hang children from their ankles at school."
"But Filch's not a teacher, is he?" another boy retaliated.
"Precisely! Makes no sense he could do something so awful if teachers themselves can't."
"You think you're so clever…"
Boy and girl continued to bicker back and forth the whole journey. Nora listened half-heartedly while still paying attention to where she was going in the dim hallways. It was funny; they fiercely reminded her of Ron and Hermione. They were always at each other's throats too.
When they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Nora raised her hand to finally put a stop to the argument. "All right, I've heard quite enough. First of all, no one's hanging anyone from their ankles. Yes, Mr. Filch does have shackles in his office, but Professor Dumbledore would never agree to medieval methods of punishment. And second, don't ever trust anything the Weasley twins say, they're notorious pranksters. Come to that, don't accept anything from them either or you might end up in the hospital wing coughing out something unpleasant. And do not buy from them — trafficking is illegal in…"
She trailed off upon seeing the girl's eyes darting quickly somewhere to the side and the two boys suddenly starting to elbow each other.
"They're right behind me, aren't they?" Nora asked with a sigh, turning around while mentally preparing herself to deal with Fred and George's shameful japing. However, she was pleasantly mistaken. "Professor Lupin!"
"Don't mind me." With eyes dancing with mirth, Lupin smiled his charming smile. "I wouldn't want to intrude on what sounded like a very riveting lecture."
The first years giggled, and a rush of heat flowed to Nora's cheeks. Having an audience while she nearly died of embarrassment was less than ideal, so she shoed them off to the common room before they enjoyed some more of the spectacle. Still giggling and elbowing each other, they clambered through the portrait hole after a quick, "Night, Miss Nora! Night, Professor Lupin!" over their shoulders.
"You know," Lupin's warm voice filled the silence, "I was under the impression you were an advocate for the troublesome duo of Gryffindor, but it turns out you're actively stealing their clientele."
Nora blurted a laugh. "As much as I adore Fred and George, I don't condone the bullying of children."
"Oh, I'd hardly call it bullying, only a bit of harmless fun." The comment had her raising her eyebrows. It was impossible not to wonder what Professor Lupin was like as a young boy. Could he have been a troublemaker as well? Nora wouldn't have taken him for one at first glance, but she could see it now — in the twinkle of his eyes.
"Were you on your way to the kitchens?" she asked curiously.
"Yes. In fact, I was hoping to bump into you there."
"Oh?" Nora tucked a curl behind her ear, feeling her heart skip a beat. "I can keep you company then. I was nearly done with my rounds anyway."
His smile widened. "Wonderful! I'll make you hot chocolate."
They set off to the kitchens, walking side by side under the dusty golden light of torches. He was very tall, Nora thought, admiring his profile; the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. There seemed to be more to him now too, he didn't look as thin and peaky as the first time she'd seen him. His clothes fit him better, over wide shoulders, slim waist, long legs. When he caught her staring, she looked away with a blush. Nora heard him chuckle quietly while shaking his head.
As expected, the kitchens were empty again. Lupin instructed her to take a seat while he made his special hot chocolate. Nora hopped onto the closest table and propped her feet on the bench, watching as he moved around, pulling out things from the cabinets and working the stove as though in his own kitchen. "Why were you looking for me?"
"I wanted to ask for a favour," he said, starting to stir the milk in a small pot.
"Oh, I see," Nora drawled slowly, voice taking on a playful note. "You're trying to bribe me with hot chocolate. Well, you really didn't need bother, I'm glad to help."
Lupin glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "Does that mean you don't want any? Because it's fine if you don't, all the more for me."
"Of course I want it," she countered in a rush, making him laugh heartily.
"That's what I thought…" As he added in the cocoa, the delicious smell of chocolate filed the kitchen.
"What is it, then?" Nora asked eagerly. "The favour, I mean."
"Next week I'm delving into Red Caps with my third year classes, but my supplier couldn't get his hands on one in time. I was wondering if you could maybe help me catch one tomorrow. I hear you have a rare talent for creatures."
A mix of pride and bashfulness swelled in her chest. "I wouldn't call it a talent, more like a sort of affinity. I can't really explain it… Tristan's actually better than me with creatures. You should see him, it's like he talks to them. Our mother was the same so I imagine we get it from her."
Lupin made a contemplative noise, shutting off the stove and pouring hot chocolate into two mugs, walking over to hand her one of them. Nora thanked him and wrapped her cold fingers around the warm mug, waiting for it to cool down a little.
"So what do you say?" He sat next to her on the table, one elbow resting on his thigh so that he was partially facing her. "Would you mind terribly wasting an afternoon hunting down Red Caps with me?"
"It wouldn't be a waste," she said with a smile. Surprise passed over his face and his cheeks looked subtly pink as he raised his mug for sip. Nora had never seen a grown man blush. She thought he was about the most adorable thing in the world.
"I'm taking that as a yes." Lupin eyed her sideways, smiling when she nodded earnestly from behind her mug. "You can invite Tristan along if you think he'd like the adventure."
"He'd be thrilled! I'll ask him first thing tomorrow. What time should we meet?"
They set the details for the next day, then spent the next hour or so discussing the greatest works of Ernest Hemingway. It was well past two when they parted at the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower after Lupin insisted on escorting her all the way there. As Nora slipped inside the silent common room and raced quietly up the stairs, keen for the warmth and comfort of her bed, she could barely wait for the sun to come up.
Friday rose with clouded, grey skies and thick fog, the kind of weather that beckoned lazy mornings in bed. Nora had all but to yank Emma out of hers in time for breakfast and everyone else in the castle seemed to share the sentiment. Older and younger students dragged their feet in the hallways, rubbed their sleepy faces and heavy eyes, or nodded off in between bites of their toast.
Nora spotted her brother trudging into the Great Hall behind Harry and Ron. She figured it was best to approach him before he sat down as she had to leave for Herbology in a few minutes and most likely wouldn't see him again until lunch. Tristan was taken aback by the invitation, however the chance to capture a Red Cap brought an excited grin to his face. He didn't think twice to accept.
In Herbology, Professor Sprout had her class review the proper ways to handle and care for the Venomous Tentacula, a rather dangerous magical plant that expelled venom from its shoots and had sharp, deadly spikes. Nora excelled at Herbology and was always very fond of Professor Sprout, who was a kind and motherly teacher, but caring for a Venomous Tentacula wasn't on her list of favourite things to do. Not because of its many thorny arms or even the risk of being poisoned, but because it had to be fed with live chizpurfles.
"I'm not doing it." Nora slid the jar full of tiny crab-like insects toward Emma. "I didn't do it last year, I'm not doing it now."
Emma rolled her eyes. "They're parasites, Nora, hardly worth anything."
"Of course they're worth something! They're still alive, aren't they?"
"You're being ridiculous! These rascals can chew through any good wand!"
Liam dodged a swinging tentacle with a laugh. "Nora's incapable of killing even a spider, and she hates them!"
"I don't hate them," Nora argued, kneeling so she was level with the jar on the table, tapping her finger to the glass and watching the tiny creatures trample frantically over each other without anywhere to escape to. "I just prefer them away from me."
"Yeah, and I'm usually the one who's got to take them away from you," he joked.
"What're you good for if not to do all the dirty work for us girls?" Emma tossed in.
"I'm your brother, not your servant."
"Nowhere does it say you can't be both."
Despite his complaints, Liam ended up doing the feeding anyway. Nora kept her eyes shut the whole time he did it, firmly ignoring Emma who wouldn't stop making fun of her for being, in her words, such a pansy. They were off to Transfiguration afterwards.
The day flew by. Seeing as they had the afternoon off, they grabbed Julia after lunch and forced her to come study with them in the library. Nora had agreed to meet Professor Lupin by the Whomping Willow around five, but Tristan had classes until four thirty so in the meantime she worked on her homework essays for Potions and Charms due next week. Ten to five, she started packing up her things.
Julia looked up from where Emma was guiding her through the mechanics of turning a toad into a toadstool. "Had enough already?"
"Not quite," Nora said, swinging her bag over the shoulder. "I'm still halfway with Potions, but I can finish it over the weekend. I'm meeting Tris in a bit."
Liam eyed her curiously. "What for?"
"Oh, err… just to give him a hand with something… y'know, for school…" Nora heard herself lie without really knowing why. There was nothing wrong with helping a teacher out of class. But she also knew Liam wasn't Lupin's biggest fan and she couldn't imagine he would be very open about the whole thing. Luckily, none of her friends seemed to catch onto her little lie.
Outside the north tower, Tristan was already waiting for her.
"What about these?" He gestured with his bag. "It's not very practical."
"You're right." Nora grabbed it from him, grabbed hers, vanished them both to their rooms with a quick spell. "Problem solved. Let's go."
"Neat! You gotta teach me that one!" Tristan gushed, trotting after her across the slopping lawns. "Beats carrying around all those books all the time. We should teach Hermione too, she has like an entire library in her bag. It ripped open from the sheer weight of it the other day."
"I can cast an Extension Charm on your bags to make it easier, but you're too young for the Teleportation Spell. It's tricky, you could end up sending your stuff to the Black Lake or dumping it over someone's head by mistake. Oh look — there's Professor Lupin…"
The Whomping Willow appeared ahead, dramatic and elegant. Sturdy branches arched upwards right before sweeping down into a canopy, now bare of foliage as nearly every leaf had fallen with the coming of autumn. Standing at a safe distance, Professor Lupin had his head tilted back, a strange, sort of sorrowful look on his face as he gazed up at the deceptively calm tree.
The look was gone by the time he turned to welcome them with a bright smile. "Ready?"
"Yeah!" Tristan punched his fist in the air. "Let's catch this bugger!"
Nora sent a withering glance toward her brother, then a sheepish one toward Lupin, who was openly laughing. "I'm afraid he's a bit excitable."
"It's perfectly fine," Lupin replied good-naturedly as he led them into the Forbidden Forest. "Now remember, Red Caps are vicious little beasts. They don't take well to intruders, they lunge for an attack at the first chance. Since the objective here is to catch this one, our best option is to corner him and make sure he doesn't slip away once he realises he's outnumbered."
"Maybe I should've brewed a Beautification Potion," Nora mused out loud.
"Five points to Ravenclaw for that one," Lupin declared cheerfully, making her shake her head.
"You just enjoy giving away points, don't you?"
"I do, actually. Certainly more than taking them away."
"Great for us. Snape takes enough points to make up for all the teachers that don't— Ouch!" Tristan winced when Nora swatted the back of his head. "What's that for? Professor Lupin knows very well Snape's unpleasant to us students! Don't you, professor?"
Lupin stared down at Tristan, trying to convey an air of reprimand, yet unable to fully disguise his amusement. "As you may imagine, I'm not answering that."
"Thought you were the fun teacher," Tristan grumbled under his breath.
"Oh is that what everyone's calling me? The fun teacher?" Lupin broke into a smug grin. Nora bit down on her lip not to laugh; the man really was something else. "I think I might need to have it engraved on my office door…"
The mist thickened as they ventured further and further into the Forbidden Forest. Silver tendrils coiled around Nora's ankles, twined in her hair, making it damp near the temples and her hair start to frizz. There was hardly any sunlight to outline the path ahead of them. Drooping boughs and strong risen roots were scary shadows moving along the dusky, grayish scenery. Still, Professor Lupin seemed to know exactly where they were headed, never once faltering in his strides.
At last they arrived at the edge of a great pothole. Several bone remains could be spotted from where they stood at the top. By their size and shape, Nora assumed most belonged to small animals and large rodents, although there was a human skull in a far corner that sent a chill down her spine.
"Wands out," Lupin instructed quietly as he readied his wand, casting a quick Lumos Spell to shed light over the darkened space. Nora and Tristan followed suit. "I'm going to enter through the left side of the burrow while the two of you slide down through this side, okay? Keep your eyes open."
"Couldn't I just talk to him?" Uncertainly, Tristan leaned over to peer inside the pothole to try and catch a glimpse of the Red Cap. "Maybe if we explain why we need him, he wouldn't mind coming with us as long as we promise to bring him back afterwards. I mean, we are bringing him back, aren't we?"
"Naturally," Lupin promptly assured when Tristan aimed his shiny, worry-coated eyes at him. "But I'm afraid Red Caps aren't negotiators, nor particularly reasonable. You're welcome to have a talk after we capture it."
As planned, they split up, Nora and Tristan treading their way cautiously down the sloping valley. It was even creepier inside the pothole, dirty and dusty, full of huge cobwebs. She was suddenly reminded of her conversation in Herbology about spiders. Thinking of finding a giant-sized arachnid in this horribly dark place made her honestly queasy in the stomach.
Like he could tell exactly what she was thinking, her brother smirked, mocking her silently. Nora rolled her eyes. She was seriously considering smacking Tristan again when something moved behind him. Before she had time to react, a short, green goblin-like creature leaped from the shadows brandishing a large club.
"Mine! Mine! Die! Die—"
A stream of bluish light hit the Red Cap square in the chest and sent him reeling backwards. He managed to do a quick flip before hitting the wall, landing on his feet and waving his menacing club with renewed fury.
"We're not here to hurt you!" Tristan shouted in the hopes the beast would listen. Unfortunately he only made the Red Cap snarl more angrily. "Crap, that's not a good sign…"
Nora gave him a dirty look. "You think?"
When the Red Cap lunged again, she raised a shield to protect Tristan and herself. The menacing club landed on the shimmery surface and repelled him. Professor Lupin took the Red Cap's momentarily disoriented state as an opportunity to aim an Incarcerous Spell. But the beast was able to dodge the ropes. That was enough for his focus to shift toward the other side of the pothole where Lupin was calculating his next move.
With a loud, angry snarl, the Red Cap went charging at him. Nora raised her wand at the same time Lupin did. Another set of ropes snaked around the torso of the small beast just as her spell hit its target and the little monster went flying toward Lupin, whose eyes widened with surprise. He ducked out of the way by a split second, tripping over a root on the ground and falling on his butt right in a puddle that splattered his grey suit with mud.
Nora rushed over to see if he wasn't hurt. "Oh god, I'm so stupid! Are you all right, professor?" Not only was Lupin perfectly fine, but he was laughing. Properly, head tossed back, clutching at his stomach, laughing. She was completely mortified. "I am so, so sorry!"
Lupin waved off her apology. "No worries. Come here, give me a hand up—"
She grabbed his hand and let out a loud squeak when instead she was suddenly yanked down butt-first into the mud as well. Her mouth fell open with shock. Did he actually just trick her?
"Really, sir?" Nora wiped some mud off her cheek, narrowing her eyes at him. "I mean, was this really necessary?"
Professor Lupin flashed a cheeky grin, not an ounce of shame in sight. "It was only fair, wasn't it?"
Tristan was doubled over with the sheer force of his laughter. "Should've seen your face, Nora! It was priceless!"
"Shut up, or I'll throw you in the mud too," she threatened half-heartedly.
Chuckling, Lupin got to his feet, patted his wet trousers and offered to help her. Nora let him pull her up despite still being a little miffed about his clever trick. His grip was stronger than she counted on and she ended up stumbling into his chest, having to hold on to it for support. Her heart skipped when his other hand found her lower back to steady her too. Shyly, she peered up at him and their eyes met. Between her furious pulse and the blood ringing in her ears, she couldn't be sure but she thought his hold on her tightened for a second before he stepped back.
"He's one angry little devil," Tristan said as he finally collected himself enough to walk over to the incarcerated Red Cap and crouched in front of him. "I can barely make out what he's thinking, it's all a big jumble of nonsense words and curses."
Lupin looked away from Nora and cleared his throat, combing his fingers through his dirty, messy hair. "I did warn you. It's no use trying to reason with them."
Curious, she came up behind Tristan and crouched too. The Red Cap was tied from his ankles all the way to his mouth, leaving only to see his large, bulging nose and blood-red eyes glowering with fury. She couldn't speak to creatures or read their minds like her brother, but she could sense feelings and emotions, which often helped her connect to them on a deeper level. It was more than anger, she decided. It was mistrust and suspicion. They'd intruded on his territory, attacked him, and now they were kidnapping him. His home would be left unprotected from other Red Caps who might be hunting for territory.
"We can cast a hiding spell around your hole. No one will steal it while you're away," Nora told the Red Cap. He studied her for a long time. A moment later, even though it was clear he still didn't trust them, he stopped struggling against the restraints.
"Impressive," Professor Lupin said, retrieving his wand from where it had flown to during his fall, lighting the tip again and staring at the sky. "We should head back now. It's almost nightfall."
With a flick of Nora's hand, the Red Cap levitated off the ground and after them as they climbed out of the pothole. Most of the fog had cleared up, but the woods had become significantly darker. Tristan clung to Nora's hand while she trailed very close to Lupin so they wouldn't get separated. Everyone knew there were all sorts of wild animals and dangerous creatures roaming the woods at night.
The massive Whomping Willow was a sight for sore eyes when they finally broke out of the forest.
"You'll have to be discreet, Tristan," Lupin said playfully as they entered the castle. "You've had firsthand experience with a Red Cap. That means next class you'll have an unfair advantage over your classmates. Can't be accused of having favourites now, can I?"
Tristan grinned brightly, "I won't say a word, sir! Promise!"
With a cheery, carefree "bye!" over the shoulder, he took off running, presumably to find his friends. Once he had disappeared around the corner, Nora turned to Professor Lupin. "You implied he was a favourite, you do realise that, don't you?"
"Our little secret," Lupin shrugged, eyes dancing with laughter. "Want me to scourgify your clothes?"
"Actually—" She swiped her wand up and down his suit, vanishing the muddy stains and drying off the fabric, doing the same to herself next. She smiled sheepishly at him. "It was my fault in the first place."
Gingerly, he reached out to pluck a dead leaf from her hair. "Thanks for coming with me."
"You're welcome," Nora breathed, growing warm in the face. "It was fun."
"Yes, it was. Enjoy your weekend, Nora." Lupin bowed his head and walked away with the Red Cap floating behind him.
