serendipity - r. lupin

SEVENTY NINE

"And I flat out failed at Transfiguration," Genevieve finished, disheartened. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that you will have take up my class again."

Genevieve's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?" she said, amazed.

"You heard me."

"No, I don't think I did. You said you want me back in that class."

"You heard me perfectly clear."

"But nobody ever gets let's back into your Transfiguration class."

"I'm willing to bend the rule this once."

Genevieve dragged a hand down her face, shaking her head. "Oh, no," she murmured. "Oh, no,no, no. I can't go back in that class, Minnie. You saw me in there, I was a walking hazard! Do you remember what happened to Toby Whitley with the book?"

"I do. A nasty bruise he received at the cost of your frustration. I still want you back in that class." The professor caught sight of the small frown embedded on Genevieve's face. "I thought you would be happy to be in a class with your friends again."

She shrugged. "I guess."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed curiously at the girl. "What's this really about?"

Genevieve shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She averted her eyes to the dark floorboards as she began to speak. "It was embarrassing to be in that class, Minnie. I was the worst in it. It was pathetic to see me attempt to do anything, let alone fail at it," she admitted.

McGonagall pursed her lips as she examined the girl. "The only reason you didn't succeed in Transfiguration the first time was because of your attitude towards it. You began to lose interest as soon as you gave one sign of being bad at it instead of trying again. You could have passed that class. You just didn't want to."

Genevieve looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "You really think I could have passed?" she asked.

McGonagall nodded. "I did then, and I do now. I'll assign someone to you for extra tutoring due to what you missed last year which was, fortunately, not a lot. You'll start Monday next week. In the mean time, please practice. Don't let any spare moment go unwanted. If you want this, prove it."

"You should be Quidditch Captain instead of James. This was the best go-team talk I've ever been given."

McGonagall pursed her lips, but didn't lecture the girl. She glanced at the ticking clock on the table. "It looks like our time is up," she said, "Lupin is waiting outside. Tell him to come straight in."

"Aye, aye," responded Genevieve, practically leaping from her seat. She collected her bag and made her way to the door with a skip in her step, pleased to finally leave the meeting. Just as she was about to exit, McGonagall's voice halted her in her steps.

"Genevieve," she called. "I saw you untuck your shirt."

"Really?" Genevieve said, genuinely amazed. "How?"

"Tell Lupin to come straight in," she repeated, looking over the top of her glasses.

Genevieve exited the class not thinking about how her meeting had been successful, but how McGonagall had seen her untuck her shirt. She had been sneaky about it, only doing so when she had her back turned to the professor and was walking out of the room. Her Grandad, who had been a history teacher, insisted that teachers were blessed a sixth sense - one that told them when a child was misbehaving. Maybe that was true.

"Daydreaming, love?"

Genevieve snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Remus's voice. He was leant against the wall while he waited to go in, an entertained smile on his face.