Cyra nibbled on the edge of her quill, staring at the parchment with a frustrated glare. She couldn't believe Quirrell actually hosted the class on werewolves. He used an interview with an 'anonymous dark creature'. But as he read out her answers, there was no sympathy, nor emotion. And as he spoke for her, she realized how the interview would look to others.
A quick glance around her class would tell her all she needed to know. No one looked sympathetic as he talked as her, describing how it felt to transform. No one felt a thing. Except her. When he reached the end of the interview, Cyra's eyes wide as she listened to his twisted version.
"Upon a-asking if they felt that dark creature label was r-right, they avoided the question and p-placed blame upon another fellow werew-wolf."
She ignored the scoffs and mummering, narrowing her eyes at the meek professor. Her nails dug into the wood of her desk, her using all of her restraint not to prove him right about her violent urges. Once class finished, she was the first out.
Cedric wasn't far behind her, struggling to shove his books into his bag as he jogged to catch up. "Ah, Cyra, wait up!" He called out, apologizing quickly to the students he bumped into. Hearing him, she forced her steps to slow to allow him to reach her pace.
Once he was by her side, he gave her a sheepish smile, "Pretty rough class, huh?" She managed a small smile back before looking down at her schedule to see when her next break was. She needed a chocolate break, and like pronto. Seeing that her next free period would be after Potions, she let out a sigh of relief.
Cedric relaxed the moment he saw her tenseness subside, "You really don't like Quirrell, do you?" She turned her head to him in surprise, raising her brow, "Is it that obvious?" He gave a chuckle, shaking his head, "Yeah, kinda. I don't think you could have gotten out faster." She pulled her cloak tighter around her as they entered the dungeons, giving a shiver.
"He just rubs me the wrong way, you know?"
"Yeah I getcha. There's people like that sometimes."
She pushed open the door to the potions classroom, seeing some of the Slytherins were already inside. Taking her place at the table she shared with Cedric, she quickly dug into her bag. He watched her curiously, taking a seat on his stool. Her face broke into a grin as she felt the wrapper, taking the sweet out of her bag. He tried not to laugh as she ducked her head below the table, the sound of the candy wrapper crinkling.
"I think you have a candy addiction." He joked.
He heard back her muffled response, "I'm stressed…" He nodded, glancing around to be sure no one else noticed her stuffing her mouth, "Well, be sure to chew fast. Snape could come in at any-" Too late. The slam of the classroom door was enough to make Cyra sit up straight, her cheeks puffed out and chocolate smeared on her bottom lip.
"Put away your books, if you paid attention, then you'll know what we'll be brewing." Professor Snape drawled as he went over to his desk, procuring a small glass bottle that contained a sky blue potion. He stared down the silent class before continuing, "Scurvy grass, Lovage, and Sneezewort. Who can tell me what this..concoction is?"
No response. His eyes locked onto Cyra who was trying desperately to chew subtly, his lips quirking in amusement, "Ms. Lupin? Do you perhaps know?" Her eyes were wide as she swallowed all the chocolate forcefully down her throat, giving a small cough as she answered, "C-Confusion Draught?"
He gave a hum of affirmation, placing the glass back onto his desk, "Indeed. Today you will be brewing it. You will have an hour. Begin." He glanced in her direction, being sure to call out, "Wipe your mouth first, Ms. Lupin." She felt her face flush as she heard some of the snickers, using the sleeve of her sweater to swipe at her mouth.
Cedric patted her shoulder, smiling reassuringly, "I'll get the ingredients for us both, if you're willing to maybe assist me in this?" She gave a small laugh, nodding, "You've got a deal." As he went over to the ingredient's cupboard, she began preparing her cauldron, setting up her cutting supplies in a neat order.
When he returned, she motioned to his cauldron, "I turned it on to low heat. It'll help the ingredients infuse better if they wilt when you add them." He gave her a relieved smile, placing the ingredients on the table, "Thank merlin for you."
She chuckled, taking some lovage leaves and placing them on her cutting board, beginning to chop them finely. Cedric watched her for a moment before picking up his knife and copying. His brows furrowed as he tried to get his as thin as hers, "How..did.." He turned the mixture around, trying again to chop at it, "Yours is like..perfect."
She glanced in his direction, her lips quirking into a smile, "Practice. You should try baking when you arrive home for the holidays." He let out a grunt in response, making her smile bigger. She slid her chopping board above the cauldron, carefully sliding them into the water.
Next was the scurvy grass, she measured out about 1 cup full of them, before plopping it onto her cutting board. Cedric glanced at his book, squinting his eyes at the instructions, "It says to squish the juices out, what does that mean?" She took the edge of her blade, pressing it against the stems, watching the green juice begin to drain out. He looked back at her, watching her hands intently, "Oh..so like that?" She let out a soft hum, slipping them into her cauldron.
As she went to grab the sneezewort, Cedric realized he was still cutting his lovage leaves. "W-Wait..wait a moment!" He stammered, shoving his leaves into the water, quickly grabbing his scurvy grass. Cyra looked over at how much he took, placing her hand onto his arm to stop him, "That's too much. You need only one cup of it."
He glanced at the scurvy grass, seeing that he did forget to measure it, "Oh..thank you." He looked around the table for his measuring cup. While he searched for it, Cyra took the sneezewort and placed it on her cutting board, pushing it closer to the flame by her cauldron.
"Found it!" He quietly celebrated, measuring out the scurvy grass quickly. As he saw Cyra waiting patiently, he looked at the sneezewort, "It's awfully close to the flame, don't you think?" She nodded, smiling softly, "I'm drying it out. It's much more potent if you crush it into a powder." His brows raised in surprise, focusing back on his cutting board, "That's not in the instructions, Cyra."
She gave a mischevious smile, watching her sneezewort begin to shrivel, "I'm aware." He let out a worried sound but said nothing more. He did not follow her methods, deciding to just chop his sneezewort up and toss it into the cauldron. Cyra was now behind the others, placing her sneezewort into a mortar and pestle, crushing it. Once it was a fine powder, she tapped it into the mixture, watching it turn a light blue.
Satisfied, she turned up the heat and plopped the lid onto the cauldron to simmer. Cedric copied her, covering his cauldron. Once clean up was finished, a quick glance at their potions showed how vastly different they looked. Cedric looked between the both of them, "Mine's blue..but yours is lighter. How?" Cyra didn't seem worried, placing the lid back on her cauldron, "Different methods. It changes everything."
When it was time to bottle it up, the most common color was similar to Cedric's, which made him sure it was right. Cyra's was the only one that was a true sky blue. She placed it proudly in front of herself, waiting for Professor Snape to evaluate it. When he got to her table, he took Cedric's, examining it, "Hmm..it is light blue." He uncorked it and took a sniff, "You did it right, but it'll only last a few minutes. You should have let it simmer more."
When he saw hers, his eyes narrowed, snatching it up quickly. She watched with expectant eyes as he sniffed it, seeing the recognition in his eyes. His lips pressed together for a moment before he forced out, "What did you do, Ms. Lupin, that was so different from your partner?"
She smiled sweetly up at him, "I dried out the sneezewort, ground it up into a powder." Snape hummed, staring at her coldly, "So you went against the instructions?" She faltered for a moment, before nodding. There was silence, before he responded, "Congratulations Ms. Lupin, you're one of the few that has brewed a perfect Confusion Draught." She gasped, a smile forming. He placed her vial back on the table, turning away, "I expect you all to learn what you did wrong, for this will be on your exam. You are dismissed, leave your potions on the table."
She packed her things, grinning at Cedric, "Can you believe it?" He laughed, packing his books, "I can't believe Professor Snape complimented you. That's so..not even possible!" Once they gathered their things, they went their separate ways.
Cyra decided to use her break to check on Hagrid, heading out to the courtyard. She kept to herself on her walk, nodding her head to familiar faces. She spotted a group of Ravenclaw fourth years, halting their conversation as she passed. She furrowed her brows as she felt the stares, forcing her spine upright as she continued on her way. She listened to them whispering, the snickers that come after confuse her.
She gave a glance over her shoulder to see they were still staring. They were. But then one of the Ravenclaw boys did something that confused her greatly, he shoved his hand into his hair, snagging the waves with a wince before he twitched one eye awkwardly. Was this some kind of warning? She decided to look away and hurry on out.
Once the sound of nature surrounded her, she relaxed, continuing on her merry way to Hagrid's Hut. Once she reached the door, she knocked on it politely, before taking two steps back. There was some clanging and rustling inside, but she remained still, waiting with a polite smile. When the door finally swung open, she smiled brightly at the half-giant, "Evening, Mr. Hagrid. Would you like to have tea together?"
Hagrid's face broke into a smile, stepping back for her to enter, "Of course, Cyra! My home is always open to ye!" She stepped inside, reaching into her parcel bag, "I prepared us some scones and tea sandwiches."
She took out a small box, placing it on the table before whipping out her wand, waving it over, "Engorgio." Hagrid turned around from the kettle to see it grow in size. Once it reached its original size, she opened it up to reveal the treats she prepared. He chuckled as she began plating it on the table, "Yer becoming such a clever witch, Cyra." She blushed at the compliment, carefully placing a tea sandwich on the plate, "Hardly. I'm about average as any other student here."
He tsked at her, waggling his finger, "Now don't ye be putting yourself down like that, you've got just as much cleverness as any Ravenclaw. You should show it more." She placed the box to the side, smiling up at him. He looked down at her with a worried expression, "Ye should also tell me what really brought ye here. What upset ye?"
She tried to remain smiling, but after a moment of silence, it fell. Sighing, she hung her head, covering her face for a moment. He grabbed the teabags, waiting patiently. By the time he reached the table, she finally uncovered her face. She looked tired, her face sullen and pale.
Cyra's eyes stared at the teapot as he poured the water into It, almost blank. He took a seat, picking up a scone, "Say what's on yer mind." She leaned her head against the wall, "You live your whole life trying not to be what other people say you are, trying to prove them wrong. You shame yourself for any emotions you perceive as living up to the stereotype. But why do you have to? When they're allowed to be what they are? Why is it only different when I'm angry? Why does that make me live up to the expectation of every werewolf?"
She held out her arms, welcoming Fang as he climbed onto her lap, "It's just so tiring. I try so hard to be calm, to not snap. I can't even do defense charms cause I'm so scared that I'll hurt someone. It feels like trying to shove a hippogriff in a suitcase, just hiding it away."
"But even if ye manage to get the hippogriff in the suitcase, there will still be a hippogriff." Hagrid commented, smiling softly at the young girl. She expresses with her hand at him, "Exactly! But if anyone else sees the hippogriff, they'll say 'of course the werewolf has a hippogriff problem' even they also have hippogriff's!" He seemed to get confused for a moment, before clarifying, "Yer using a hippogriff to represent feeling angry right? Not just hippogriffs?"
Cyra nodded, grabbing a sandwich, "Of course, real hippogriffs are completely fine, and wizards should keep their opinions on Hippogriffs silent. They are majestic creatures that deserve respect." Hagrid brushed the crumbs out of his beard, "Well," He began, "It's the same thing for me, ye know? Being a half giant and all.."
She turned to give him all her attention, nibbling on her sandwich. He coughed, feeling a bit awkward as he spoke, "Well, going to Hogwarts, all the other students, they were scared of me. My dad raised me to be gentle, but there were times I felt anger too. In those moments, they didn't see me as a student, but rather a raging giant. It hurt.. cause I'm more than that."
Cyra's eyes teared up as she stared at him, "You are. You're a wizard, they can't take that from you." He managed a weak smile, "They tried.. Dumbledore was the one who gave it back to me." There was a moment of silence, before he sniffled and looked at her, giving her a grin, "And you, Miss Cyra Lupin. You are a witch. One of the best witches I've met in my days. You've got a good heart." She smiled back at him, tears streaking her cheeks.
He glanced out the window for a moment, before speaking softly to her, "But that doesn't mean ye got to turn your cheek to them." At her confused look, he continued, "Clever witch like ye? Could come up with a method to get the justice ye deserve. Without being..caught." He gave a wink, making Cyra let out a laugh. He cleared his throat, pretending that didn't just happen, picking up the teapot, "Tea is ready, how many sugars?"
"Three, please."
After Charms, Cyra hurried out with a gleam in her eye, her strut unbreaking as she headed down to the dungeons. When she reached the Potions door, she gave a gentle knock.
"Come in." Snape drawled through the door. She opened it, giving him a bright smile, "Hello, Professor Snape. How are you this evening?" He looked up from the essays he was grading, raising a dark brow at her, "Ms. Lupin. What are you bothering me for?" She noticed her potion resting next to his example vial, "Was my potion really similar to yours?"
He narrowed his eyes briefly, looking her over for any smugness before hissing out, "Yes..why do you ask, Ms. Lupin?" She bit her lip, staring at the vials as they shimmered, "Would you say I'm talented in potions?" He scoffed, shaking his head, "Ms. Lupin did you come here for compliments to soothe your ego after your Defense lesson?"
She dropped her smile, glaring at him, "You knew about it?" He let out a hum, studying her, "How did you manage not to bite the blubbering fool's head off?" She sighed, looking elsewhere, "His turban would have digested badly." He did not laugh, though his lips did quirk for a brief second.
She took her potion from the desk, holding it up the light, "You didn't answer the question though, Professor Snape. Am I talented in potions?" He picked up his quill with a sigh, going back to grading, "Are you better than most of the students in your class? Yes. But they are also fools who don't respect the precise science of brewing." She shot him a look, quipping, "My class is with Slytherins, your house." He looked up, his expression bored, "Did I stutter?"
Cyra slipped the potion into her parcel, slipping out a cloth that contained cookies, placing it on his desk, "An apology for eating in class earlier." Snape undid the ribbon on the top, scoffing as he saw the sugar cookies shaped like bats, "Not potion bottles this time?" She spun on her heel, calling out, "No, because instead of Potions Professor, I've heard some call you a bat. Y'know with your cloak that's all swishy."
He shot a glare at her, pointing at the door, "Out." She giggled, grabbing the door handle, "Thanks for the ego boost!" She ducked out before he could say any more. Once she was out of his sight, she sped away, acting as normal as she could.
On her getaway, she saw two heads of red hair heading towards her. George was the first to wave at her, Fred calling out, "There you've been!" As she hurried to them, George held out his arms for a hug.
"We went looking for you at Ha-"
He was cut off by the feeling of her grabbing his arm, along with his twins, and dragging them off to an empty classroom. Once they were shoved inside, they tried to gather what was happening. Cyra wasn't waiting though, blurting out, "I need you guys to be the lookout while I sneak into the Great Hall before dinner." They stared at her blankly, before snapping quickly out of it.
"Wait, wait, wait..why do you-"
"What is happening Cyra!?"
It was then they saw the grin on her lips, her eyes glinting dangerously, "It's time for another prank." Both the twins looked surprised, their face growing into matching grins, "Who is it?"
"Professor Quirrell."
Cyra stood by the Great Hall doors, taking a deep breath in to calm herself. She glanced over her shoulder to see Fred and George further down the hall, giving their thumbs up. The coast was clear. She pushed the door open, slipping inside.
It was strange to enter the Great Hall when it was empty. She glanced around worried before steeling herself, marching up to the Heads Table. If she remembered the order they sat in correctly, Quirrell's seat was at the far left, between Snape's and Madam Hooch. Counting the goblets, she slipped the potion vial out of her bag, uncorking it with her teeth before placing a few drops in the correct goblet.
Once she was finished, she corked it back up, placing it in her bag and hurrying out. As soon as she got out, she was snatched up by the twins and rushed to a corridor, heavy footsteps approaching. The trio silently slinked away, entering the hallway that was full of other students.
Cyra let out a relieved sigh, leaning against their fronts, "That was close." George looked around before whispering in her right ear, "You got it in?" She gave a sharp nod, looking at the students that passed. Fred snickered in her left ear, leaning his chin on her shoulder, "Well done Cy, we knew you'd eventually come to the dark side."
She chuckled, jerking her shoulder to make him get off, "Yeah yeah, let's go." She hiked up the bag on her shoulder, beginning to follow the students, "I'm starving." As they caught up with her, they heard her mutter, "Time for dinner and a show." The twin brother shared a proud look, grabbing both her hands and walking with her in the halls.
"That Longbottom boy should have never been allowed on a broom, he gives me a fright each time he hops on. I swear the boy has a death wish!"
Severus zoned out of Madam Hooch's rant, picking at his potatoes. It was so tiring having to interact with other teachers. Made his food taste bland. He almost wished he brought the cookies that Cyra dropped off.
Though he'd never say it, he did enjoy her baking. The witch was very talented. Not just in culinary arts, but in Potions as well. He had to hide his shock and disbelief at her perfect potion. It wasn't just similar; it was exactly like his. It was a shame he misplaced it before he could test them together.
The Potions Master inside him desperately wanted to set the girl up with some advanced classes. Perhaps even a mentorship? But as always, as soon as the thought comes, his petty side shoots it down by remembering Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was created in their image. Though a part of him knew she wasn't them, she was much too kind-hearted.
It was hard. But he wasn't heartless. He could see the torture behind her expression. He noticed how hard she tried to keep herself together when he mentioned Quirrell's lesson. He knew she had already seen it even before potions, which makes the fact she brewed such an impressive potion while dealing with her emotions even more impressive to him.
As he lifted his goblet, he glanced over to see Professor Quirrell do the same. His shaking hand made the liquid inside swish around. The luminescent blue in the water caught on the lights, and caught his eye. Someone laced Quirrell's goblet. But how?
He took a sip from his cup, scanning the hall subtly. And there was his answer. The sight of Cyra glancing at their direction, her lips quirking into a smirk that was so similar to the one that mocked him for years. She really did look like them.
He turned to his fellow Professor, about to warn him, before he stopped. He watched Quirrell raise the cup to his lips, unaware. He said nothing. Why did he say nothing? He knew it was laced. Madam Hooch turned to the wizard, asking, "I heard about your lesson, a conversation with a Werewolf eh? Sounded a bit one-sided."
There was a moment of silence. Professor Quirrell stared at her, furrowing his brows, "What in merlin a-are you s-speaking about? What? What?" He looked around in a panic, "W-What..What..What is.." Hooch rolled her eyes, going back to eat her chicken, "Jeez, just a suggestion to be more open-minded."
"W-Why would I o-open my mind? W-What.."
His voice grew louder, gathering the student's attention. They began to whisper amongst themselves, pointing and looking at him. His eyes grew larger, "W-What!? What are you all staring at!? What are you!?" He looked at his hand, letting out a shriek, "WHAT IS T-THAT!?"
Severus felt something click in his mind, the missing potion. His eyes shot to the young witch, who was watching the display with a satisfied smirk. As Quirrell ran out, screaming at his own feet, the students started gossiping.
"Maybe he's cracked. That lesson he did today was a bunch of nonsense."
"Do you think you can actually trust what he says? He's scared of his own shadow."
"Bet he didn't even meet a werewolf, I knew it sounded weird!"
Cyra listened to the gossip, her smirk growing into a wild grin. She laughed at the twins as they joked around with the Gryffindors, mimicking Quirrell and shouting at their hands. She did not notice the Potions Professor's stare. Nor the stare from small beady eyes of a rat.