➥COMPLETED
Nova Black hadn't thought she would ever set a toe behind those thick castle walls she had fought to forget about during the past thirteen years, but here she was at Plattform 9¾, staring at the scarlet train in front of her with wobbly k...
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AS THE days passed by, Nova often found herself caught up in her head, scolding herself for being unable to let the past rest. Nevertheless, it wasn't that easy to forget about all those things, when everything in this castle reminded her of every single of her downfalls.
On her way to the Great Hall for dinner, her jaw clenched every time she passed by the statue of Wilfrid the Wistful, where Regulus had called her a disgrace for the family, just as Sirius, and she had known he would write their father, and she had known what was awaiting her the second she'd return to Grimmauld Place for Christmas break. And when she finally reached the Great Hall, she again and again saw herself sitting by the Slytherin table, saw Hector Mulciber spit into her meal, saw Neil Burke shove her down her seat, laughing along with the rest of the hall, as she had struggled to get back to her feet, but several feet were kicking at her, holding her down ...
The daily nightmares didn't stop when meals where done, when she crossed the entrance hall and had her brain replay the memory of Antonin Dolohow shoving her into the broom closet near the dungeon entrance, his body pressing hers against the wall —
"May I accompany you on your way to the library?", a soft voice violently ended her gruesome daydream, and Nova jerked around, looking into Remus Lupin's jade green eyes.
"I — erm — I'm not going to the library", she said, shaking her head. "I'm on my way to Madame Pomfrey, to be honest. Bad headache, you know? My back isn't used to this soft mattress, I'm all tensed."
Again, she forced herself to stop babbling by pressing her lips together tightly.
"Ah, I see", he said, smiling lightly. "Do you want me to — ?"
"No", she sharply replied, then in a softer voice added, "No, I'm fine, really. I don't want you to be late for your class."
Not waiting for an answer, Nova turned around and left, still feeling Remus' gaze on her back as she climbed the stairs. She did not stop before she met the fourth floor, trying to slow her pace, as she headed for the hospital wing, then casually passing it by with a stolen glimpse through the open door.
The result of Hagrid's first lesson had been an injured boy, and said boy was still laying in a bed under those high windows. With a grim glee, Nova recognised him as the blonde Slytherin third year that had been making jokes on her.
Serves him right, she thought, though she was well aware that whatever injury the Hippogriff had caused on him, Madame Pomfrey was able to mend almost everything within seconds. A week had passed since the accident and for sure there was no reason for the git to stay here, but the dramatic effect of his situation.
The guy was sleeping, and Madame Pomfrey was still down at dinner, though Nova didn't know how much time she had left for her mission. Putting a Muffliato spell on the boys bed, she crossed the room in large steps, until she reached the healer's office. With her hand on the doorknob, she threw a last gaze back over her shoulder, before she sneaked into the room.
In ten years, not much had changed in here, only the plants had grown visibly in size, but flasks and bottles and vials were still in the very same place they had been back in her own days as a student, and so she still knew this room like the back of her hand.
With a flick of her wand, a drawer sprung open, and another flick of her wand had three small flasks fly towards her and land inside the pocket of her robe, causing a satisfied smile to curve her lips.
From now on, things would turn out a lot easier for her.
•✧•
SILENCE. The library was vibrating with silence, and Nova enjoyed it with every fibre of her heart. Nothing bad did ever happen in the library. She could walk every corner of this place without the tiniest spark of a flashback. The thousands of books surrounding her like the armoured walls of a fort, their words whispering at her, soothing, encouraging.
With a pile of books floating in front of her, she walked the aisles, watching the literature float back into their places.
And that was, when she first spotted him.
Teachers usually didn't spend that much time in the library, sometimes borrowing a book or to, to prepare their next lesson, but most of the teachers had been long enough in this position to know every lesson they would hold like the back of their hand. As a student, Nova had known that a teacher entering the library had used to mean bad news for a student, either a threatening punishment, or a loved one having become a victim of the raging war outside this magical safe place.
Seeing Professor Remus Lupin bowed over a book therefore seemed a bit odd to Nova at first, but as she watched him turning pages, she thought that it wasn't even odd at all. Remus was new to being a teacher, he hadn't spent his life creating scheduled plans for his lessons. From all the teachers roaming the castle, Remus Lupin's presence in the library was the only one making sense at all.
She leaned her shoulder against the shelf to her left and wrapped her arm around the remaining books that hadn't found their way back into their regular place.
Whatever Remus was reading, it got his forehead wrinkling and his nose crinkling. And for some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Never had she known much about him, only that he was one of her brother's closest friend; the last remaining prankster of those old days. And reading didn't fit into that image of throwing dungbombs at first years or sneaking into Filch's office to hex his chair into a butt-biting seat.
In this moment, Remus looked up, and Nova blinked as their eyes locked, turning his back on him. And forgotten were the books, as she placed them on the nearest desk and hid herself in no other place than the werewolf section.
