The tips of her toes strained as they pressed harshly against the wooden floor, body arching up and slacking against the front of Remus, the feel of his constricting arms closing around her torso and pulling her even more flush. Pressure from his harsh grip had her throat eliciting a high-pitched moan, and Remus pulled back, lips flush with spit. There was a crazed look in his eyes—one that reminded her of a feral wolf staring at its prey—but the harsh dilated pupils reverted back in an instant, an inch of reason falling over his face.
She was still pressed against his front when she whispered "Remus?" and grunted when those once constricting arms threw her away, separating them by more than a few feet. Hurt flew through her veins at the distraught look on his face; those once kissed lips falling into a mask of disdain. Her senses returned and the realization of the line she'd crossed smacked her in the face.
She tried to backtrack, feeling the regret seep into her bones, stepping forward and whispering, "That was out of line, I'm sorry, Remus—"
"Stop… Don't come any closer." The rapid rise and fall of his chest mimicked her beating heart, "I—I'm sorry, really, I shouldn't have done that. Please, forgive me—"
He held up a solemn hand and her mouth audibly shut, seeing that he was refusing to even meet her eyes. Silence permeated the room as Remus took a moment to compose himself and finally met her eyes.
"As of now, there will be no more lessons between us, and I ask that you stop coming to this classroom for the rest of the school year."
A rock sunk into her stomach at his detrimental statement, confusion overtaking her desperate words, "No, no—you can't do that, please don't do this to me, I'm sorry I kissed you, please, Remus."
"And my name is Professor Lupin." He gulped harshly and refused to meet her weeping eyes, "Please, leave."
"No," her words were garbled and mixed with tears, "You can't do this to me, don't act like you don't feel anything for me."
"Do you hear yourself?" he spat, glaring at the teary eyed girl who he knew needed to hear this, even if it was breaking his own heart, "I'm your Professor, Elizabeth, would you have me leave me run away into the sunset with you? Leave behind Hogwarts and my job?"
He scoffed, "I think you've been reading too many muggle novels, Elizabeth."
"I didn't ask you to leave, I just—I thought… "
"You thought wrong." The hard look on his once sweet face broke her entire spirit, "I'm not the man you think I am, and I'll never love you."
A choked sob slipped through her teeth, and she fled from the office in a speed that rivaled a broom, teary sounds echoing through the Professors ears. There was barely a stop in her step as she bumped into a figure that'd been coming down the same hall, not even stopping to apologize as they yelled at her back.
She had no idea where she was going, as long as it was away from the man she'd been willing to give her heart to—and what a complete and utter buffoon she'd been.
He'd only seen her as a pathetic lovesick little girl with a crush that had gone too far, except—if it truly was just a pathetic little crush, then why did it hurt so bad?
Lucky for her, the dormitory was empty and no one saw her tear stricken eyes as she fled to her bed and crawled beneath the covers, cuddling into her fluffy pillow and crying her eyes out, not hearing the anguished noises of pain from the man who'd broken her heart.
Albus Dumbledore rested the withered palm of his hand against the wrinkled palm of his hand, allowing a moment of silence to overtake his once occupied mind. The ball of tension that had festered in his shoulders made a sudden and unwelcome appearance, the peace now lost to the sound of footsteps echoing through the office.
"Is something troubling you, Severus?" Albus saw it best to question the appearance of the scowling Potions Professor, lifting his head from the worn palm to gaze at his old friend with interest.
"I'm… conflicted, Albus," Severus confided. "I find the sudden resurgence of Black and the return of Lupin to be quiet odd."
"I find nothing odd at all," Albus chuckled, "I think your confliction lies with Professor Lupin and his interest in Ms. Jones. Though If I am wrong, please, enlighten me." Much as he had at a young age, many years ago, Albus could read Severus like an old worn book; pages frayed and a split spine.
And yet, Severus pursed his lips and remained silent, allowing Albus the floor. "It would be selfish of you to assume you have control of the young girls actions, or that of Professor Lupin. Any hold you had was relinquished long ago, and if I recall, it was your choice and yours alone."
"Albus, Lupin is werewolf… you know the danger he poses," Snape challenged with desperation, flinching when Albus countered, "And whose to say you pose any less of a threat than Professor Lupin?"
The Potions Professor glared at the Headmaster with contained rage, spitting "And what would you expect me to do? Just allow whatever childish fascination she's built with him to grow? To allow him to poison her mind?"
"No, I don't expect anything from you," Albus calmly explained, "I'm instead asking you as the Headmaster of this school and your ally, to allow the young love of Miss Jones and Professor Lupin to bloom."
Albus strolled to one of windows lining the wall, gazing down at the grounds bellow, "The mystery behind a werewolf's mate is something that is best not meddled with, or you may mind yourself on the wrong end one's claws."
Frustration was evident of Severus's face, but he held his tongue from calling his oldest ally any unsavory names, and his hands balled into fists, "Does she even know?"
"I'm certain she suspects something, but our Professor Lupin is more stubborn than yourself, Severus. He'll do all he can to deny what he knows to be fate and I do fear for our dear Miss Jones." Albus turned to Severus with a look akin to thought, "Was there anything else you needed, Severus?"
Albus watched the Potions Professor leave with a flurry of his cape, door slamming with a resounding clap. The silence echoed once more through the Headmaster's office, and Dumbledore stalked to the pensive, extracting the memory with a painless twist of his wand, dropping it into the empty vial on the glass shelf.
The Pensive shut with ease as Albus stalked away, hands resting behind his back before taking place in his chair once more, allowing the calm silence to overtake his riddled thoughts.
Jean stared at her friend—her oldest friend in fact, the girl she prided herself on knowing everything about—and stared at the blank look on her face.
They had all arrived to the last meal of the day in the Great Hall separately; Desmond slumping in after a particularly grueling Potions lesson, Daisy flitting in after a successful Transfiguration with McGonagall, Jean rolling her eyes after another brutal hour with Trelawney, and Eliza…
Well, she hadn't said a word since she'd sat down.
The brown haired curls surrounding the crown of her head looking more frizzy than normal, and a slight baggage under her eyes was concerning, which urged Jean to ask, "How was your day? Anything interesting happen?"
There was barely a flicker in her eyes at the question; the fork Eliza had grabbed lightly shuffling the peas rolling on her plate. Daisy shot a curious look at her friend while Desmond went into a speech about how much of a rat Snape was, but no one was listening.
"Hey, are you alright?" she urged her friend to say anything, "Liza, you're scarin' me a bit. Are you alright?"
Her friend's eyes flicked up and widened—"Wait, where are you going? Elizabeth!" Her voice died as Eliza bolted from the Great Hall, not once looking back at her group of concerned friends.
"What's her problem?" Desmond's inquiry went unnoticed as Jean turned her body and pierced her eyes, seeing the back of Professor Lupin walk to his seat at the Professors table, directly next to Professor Snape.
He didn't look well; the usually kempt hair was more messy than normal, and his clothes bordered on messy. And much like Eliza, he seemed to not take a single bite from the spread before his eyes, instead sitting and staring ahead.
It was easy to put one and one together, and assume that something had gone down between her friend and the newest Professor to join Hogwarts, and by the looks of both of them, it was bad.
It was too much of a coincidence for all of this to happen just after Eliza had shared her feeling about Lupin, and from what Jean had understood, Lupin at least felt something for her. And if how he was acting currently was anything to go by, then she was right.
"You think it was Lupin?" Daisy inquired, her appetite having fled like Eliza.
"I don't know," was her honest answer, "But I wouldn't completely throw it out."
Desmond snorted, "What makes you think Lupin did anything? I'm pretty sure she's not even in his classes." He made a good point, and Jean needed to quickly explain her assumption, except—
"Oh, it's Lupin all right." The snark of Silas was one that they'd all endured before, and the three friends glared as she clarified from her spot over Daisy's shoulder, "I saw her run out of his office earlier today, crying and all that. She looked pretty devastated if you ask me."
"No one was asking you." Jean spat back, watching the Slytherin back off with an eye roll and saunter back to her house table.
"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Daisy questioned, watching Jean warily stand while shooting a glare to Lupin at the Head table. "Where are you going?"
"I'm gonna check on Eliza, you two stay and enjoy the feast. I'll see you later." There was no time to object as the dark haired girl fled the Great Hall, the eyes of one Potions Professor glued to her back.
It was easy enough to find her friend; she was wrapped in a blanket and bundled on one of the couches before the fire, eyes watching the flames with no emotion. Jean quietly shuffled over to her down friend, crowding into her side on the couch, watching the vigorous flames dance.
Eliza was the one to break the tension; "I kissed him."
It didn't surprise Jean one bit, "And then?"
"He sent me away and said to never come back. That he could never love me," her voice started to waver, "He apparently isn't he man I thought he was."
"He clearly isn't," Jean growled and pulled her friend into her side, "I was there when he visited you in the Hospital Wing, and I could tell he cared about you. And I can see that he isn't deserving of a single tear, or an ounce of that big, beautiful heart of yours. You are a beautiful creature, Elizabeth, and he's a fool."
Eliza nodded into her friends side and burrowed closer, watching the orange flames with disinterest, Jean in turn gazing down at her sorrow filled friend. There was an urge to storm up and find the one Professor Lupin and give him a piece of her mind, and possibly a smack or two, which is barely half of what he deserved.
Jean would make sure to keep Lupin away from her friend, hoping he didn't stick around for a second year.