Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 39

"Nah, it's fine." Layla shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.

"What? You don't like him anymore?" Regulus asked blankly, not really interested in the newest drama or gossip.

"He's already asked me for Valentine." Layla rolled her eyes. "Valentine's day is a month away! I shouldn't have promised that I would go with him. He's a bit clingy."

"No, he's really not that mad," said Diana bluntly. "Why do you keep looking for faults and flaws in every single guy you date?"

"I don't look for the flaws. The flaws are right in front of my eyes! It's hard to avoid them."

"Not if you genuinely like someone," Diana said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh, look who's become the expert in relationships!" Layla said mockingly, before letting out a sigh. "Look, I like going on dates and having fun. I really do. But I... I've never been with a guy I could fall for. I've never fallen in love with any of them. Not even close."

"Guess you'll just have to wait for the right person," Diana tried to say comfortingly before waving her goodbye and leaving the Great Hall along with Regulus.

"The right person. Sure. Like the right person would just appear out of thin air in front of me," Layla mumbled to herself mockingly after they were gone.

She sighed again, placing her elbow on the table and resting her chin upon her palm as she looked around the Great Hall out of boredom, watching the other students wearily.

Although her gaze lazily wandered over where Lily Evans and her three other friends sat at the Gryffindor table, her eyes lingering on the blonde girl who was laughing the loudest among them.

***

The next week on Monday, Diana was excited to have Ancient Runes again. When she got to the classroom, Remus had arrived earlier than her as always, already sitting at the front of the class with his books neatly placed in front of him on the desk.

Trying to suppress her smile, Diana made her way over him and took the empty seat beside him.

"I see you beat me into getting here again, Lupin," Diana said with a teasing grin.

"Well, good morning to you, too," said Remus returning the playful smile.

"Oh, come on. Don't change the subject."

"What subject?"

"The subject of how you get to class so quickly!"

"Ah, I see." He grinned.

"Well...?" Diana pressed on. "Are you never going to tell me?"

"No, not really," Remus said wittily and gave a little shake of his head.

Before Diana could retort, she had to close her mouth shut again when Professor Kumar walked into the classroom, throwing a quick knowing smile at Diana and Remus's direction as she was passing them by to reach the teacher's desk.

"All right," Professor Kumar clapped her hands together, looking at the class with her usual bright smile, "as you all probably know, your O.W.Ls are only a few months away. Naturally, all the teachers take a few tests from you after Christmas break to prepare you further for the real examinations."

Everyone groaned, a murmur falling over the classroom.

"Quiet, please," the Professor said loudly, catching their attention again. "I'll be taking a quiz from you in two weeks, pretty similar to the questioning system of the O.W.Ls. It's a perfect way to test yourselves on your skills, and see where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Now, please open your books to page forty-seven. Today, we'll be starting on Viking Runes."

After the lesson came to an end and Professor Kumar dismissed the class, Diana and Remus raised from their seats as well, packing their books and leaving the classroom together.

"All the teachers have started taking quizzes ever since we returned from the holidays," said Remus as the two of them walked down the corridor. "We have an exam tomorrow for our Care of Magical Creatures class. Professor Kettleburn is testing us on unicorns."

Diana snorted. "I'm glad I didn't take that class, then. I much rather stick with classes like Ancient Runes, when you don't have much practical work."

"Why is that?"

"Dunno." She shrugged, pondering the matter. "I guess I enjoy reading way more. And I'm good at memorizing stuff."

"You sure about that?" Remus said with a smirk at the edge of his lips, and Diana could easily detect the sass in his tone.

"What do you mean by that, Lupin?" Diana asked as she stopped walking promptly, raising a brow at him.

"Nothing." Remus shrugged, though he was still grinning as he turned to face her. "Although, if I recall correctly, you embarrassed yourself pretty badly in our first Ancient Runes class when you got a translation wrong in a terrible attempt of correcting my answer. But turns out, my answer was right all along."

Diana gritted her teeth together as the memory came back to her, making her cringe at the thought. She could remember it too perfectly.

Professor Kumar had been asking Remus questions on their first lesson of the year to test him. The professor had drawn a triangle with its tip pointing downward, asking Remus what that rune meant. Remus answered, saying that it meant earth. Diana was quick to jump in and blurt out that the correct answer was actually air. But when Professor Kumar had said that Remus was right, everyone had laughed at her, making her feel pretty furious.

     So, folding her arms as she right stood in front of Remus in the middle of the corridor, Diana said stubbornly, "What? You think you're better than me at Ancient Runes?"

    Remus gave her a teasing smile. "It's not the fact that I think I'm better than you. It's that I know it."

     "I've been top at this class for two years straight, Lupin."

     "Maybe. But that was before I showed up."

     "Ugh, you're so arrogant!" Diana snapped, her competitive side resurfacing. "You know what? It's good that we have an Ancient Runes test in two weeks. Because now we can see who's actually better."

     "Good idea."

     "Good." Diana gave a curt and stubborn nod. "And if I win... you'll have to show me the secret passageway you take to get to the classroom."

     Remus laughed. "All right. Deal. But if I win..." his grin widened, before saying, "You'll have to go on a date with me."