"Professor?"
You knocked quietly on the office door for the third time, and still there was no answer. You frowned slightly, staring into the faintly steaming goblet cupped in your other hand. Professor Snape had told you that Professor Lupin must take it while it was still hot. He'd insisted he would have delivered it himself but… gave no real excuse as to why he wished to avoid Lupin. So he'd entrusted the potion's delivery to you, seeing as you were a perfectly reliable Ravenclaw prefect.
But if Professor Lupin wasn't answering his door, what were you supposed to do?
You whined on the spot, looking up and down the hallway for any sign of help, before deciding you had the authority bestowed upon you by Snape to deliver this potion by any means necessary. Sliding your wand out from your robes, you whispered a soft "alohomora" and breathed a sigh of relief as the lock clicked. Stowing you wand away again, you turned the door handle, creeping quietly into the darkened room. And you saw immediately why Professor Lupin had been unable to answer the door.
He wasn't there.
Now you were really panicking. Snape was going to have your ass if you didn't deliver this potion before it cooled. He'd told you expressly that if he had to brew another whole batch because of your negligence you would be scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the school year. You were contemplating going back down to the dungeons to explain that you couldn't Lupin-
"You know breaking into teachers office's is generally frowned upon, right?"
You yelped, clutching the goblet to your chest to keep it from spilling as your whirled around, breast heaving with fright. But Lupin just looked sort of smug, his hands in his pockets, a calm smile on his stupid handsome face. And you felt your face flush hot under that easy grin. You weren't actually in trouble. He was just enjoying himself while teasing you. You glared back at him, practically pouting, before you thrust the goblet out to him defiantly.
"I was told to bring this to you," you bit back, though there was so little malice in your voice that Lupin only smiled a little wider.
He took a step towards you, slipping both of his hands around the goblet, and subsequently, around your own shaking fingers. "I'm sorry I frightened you," he admitted softly as he extricated the goblet from you, and you felt the blush spread from your cheeks to your entire face, both his proximity and touch lighting up your nerves, a soft shiver wracking your body. And he seemed to notice, arching a scarred eyebrow. "Thank you. For getting this to me. Is there… anything else I can do for you?"
Your eyes widened, your flush spreading down your neck. You could feel blood rushing in your ears and you thought you might expire any moment. You stuttered a step backwards from him, only to realize you were stepping back into his office. Realizing that wouldn't do, you took a step closer instead, before bolting out through the space between Lupin and the door frame, taking off down the hall without a glance back.
It wasn't until you were safely back in your common room that you realized your error in running away. If your crush hadn't been obvious before…